Reprint from the Progress Times - December 14, 2007
©Progress Times 2007 - All Rights Reserved

Council approves MPO Thoroughfare Plan

 

By Kathy Olivarez

The Mission City Council approved new updates and changes to the city’s existing Metropolitan Planning Organization Thoroughfare Plan in the Monday, December 10, meeting.

Among the changes approved, Military Parkway will be extended to Abram Road (FM 1424) and realigned. Further changes are likely as the Southwest Loop plans are developed. At the same time the Los Indios 80-foot collector designation was changed to a 100-foot arterial.

The 80-foot collector status was removed on the following streets making them local streets instead: Kika de la Garza Loop, 12th Street, Slabaugh Avenue, Doherty Avenue, Perkins Avenue, Dunlap Avenue and Tom Landry Boulevard.

A proposed east-west 80-foot collector between Glasscock and Taylor Road north of Expressway 83 was removed from the plan.

Greene Road was changed from a 100-foot minor arterial to an 80-foot collector beginning south of Business 83.

The plan increased the Bryan Road alignment for the FM 396 (Anzalduas Road) extension from 150 feet to the 300 feet beginning south of Expressway to the proposed Anzalduas Bridge.

It decreased the Bryan Road 150-foot high-speed arterial to a 120-foot principal arterial beginning south of Los Indios Parkway and looped east to FM 494 (Shary Road).

The plan also removed a 120-foot principal arterial and 100-foot minor arterial status from the Old Military Road, it removed an east-west 80-foot collector designation from Trinity Road, and it increased Military Parkway from 120 feet to 150 feet west of Conway.

The council failed to take action on a resolution authorizing and approving construction and rehabilitation of flood control levees in conjunction with a federal project that would allow the federal government to build fences on top of the levees for security purposes.

Mayor Beto Salinas said that the county already had planned funding for the levees and planned to go out for bids in January. County Judge J.D. Salinas had talked with Washington officials who had suggested there would be federal funds available to help with construction if the county allowed two layers of reinforced fencing along with the installation of additional physical barriers, roads, lighting, cameras, and sensors as proposed in the Secure Fence Act of 2006.

Salinas said that although the construction of levees is a federal responsibility, the federal government officials had previously said there would be no funding available for the project. The fencing project is proposed to take up to three years to complete if officially approved.

Salinas said that in a few months over 5,000 owners of residences in Mission would have to start paying flood insurance costs on their property if the levees were not fixed now.

Because the county had already sought funding on its own and had plans ready to be bid out, the mayor felt that it was imperative that the plans for improving flood control be put into action now instead of waiting for federal government action.

The council approved an ordinance that allowed storage of goods in leased storage space and have them be exempt from taxes as goods in transit for up to 175 days.

This is similar to the Freeport Exemption, which allows a company’s goods in transit inventory to be stored for up to 175 days on their own property without being subject to taxes.

Under citizen’s participation two residents of Sharyland Plantation asked that something be done to address the rodent problem that plagues the Quinta Real Subdivision, located at Glasscock and Los Indios Road.

Yvette Jones said that property across from the subdivision was being prepared for construction and mice living in the fields were moving into the subdivision. She had killed 59 mice in one month and residents of the subdivisions had killed a total of 500 mice.

Jones and Lisa Heifner asked that before developers started working on the site to be turned into subdivisions, they be required to make some efforts to exterminate the rodents before construction began. The rodents were coming into their homes and cars and eating the electrical wiring causing the homeowners problems. They suggested some kind of ordinance requiring developers to exterminate a site before starting construction.

Attorney David Guerra said that there might already be something in the nuisance ordinance that could be used to require extermination.

A representative from the United States Department of Agriculture said there were ways to put out traps and bait that would exterminate the area before construction began.

Mayor Salinas promised to look into the matter and see if an ordinance was needed to correct the situation.

Under zoning matters final plat approval was granted to the 65-acre Los Naranjos Subdivision, Phase II, to be located on 39.59 acres including part of lot eight, Palm Shores Subdivision. The site is on the north side of Mile 7 Road between Brushline and Western Roads.

Mayor Salinas was concerned about available water to service the subdivision.

City Manager Julio Cerda said the subdivision had been "in the hopper for three years and he had been given orders to clear the hopper." Water was now available to service those subdivisions but might not be available for other planned subdivisions that had not been waiting for a long period of time.

The council approved initiation of rezoning for properties recently annexed into the city. Tract one, including lots A through H of Mountain View Subdivision will be C-3 while lots one through 139 of Mountain View will be R-1. The east 120 feet of the west 567 feet of the south 200 feet of lot 29-3, West Addition to Sharyland was designated R-1. Lot one of the Peter Piper Pizza Subdivision was designated C-3.

Rezoning of Lot A, Glenwood Terrace #2 was rezoned from R-1 to C-1. The site is located on the northwest corner of Brock Street and Shary Road.

Rezoning from AO-I to C-3 was approved for a 2.401-acre tract of land out of Lot 195, John H. Shary Subdivision.

A conditional use permit was granted for the Ric Brown Family Funeral Home to operate a crematorium on their premises in association with the funeral home. A stipulation was added that the crematorium could only be used as part of the funeral home and not operated independently.

The council was told that the rehabilitation projection on La Lomita Chapel would start January 2.

Under tax reports Janie Flores, finance director, told the council the total adjusted tax levy for 2007 was $15,182,384. There were no collections in October.

Flores said that the October financial statement showed beginning revenues of $31,917,547 transfers and $9,565,635 with expenditures of $38,035,449. Total net assets amounted to $80,407,566.

The council approved the official centennial logo, which features an illustration of La Lomita Chapel with the number 1908 and 2008 on the top and bottom and the words centennial and celebration spelled lengthwise alongside the illustration of the chapel.

Mayor Salinas was authorized to sign an application for amendment to the certificate of adjudication transferring 163.51 acre-feet of water rights to the city from Hunt Industrial Subdivision Development at Sharyland Plantation.

Authorization to solicit bids for reconstruction of six homes under the Housing Assistance Program Phase 07-1 was approved.

Authorization to purchase a mobile command vehicle for the police department via the BuyBoard or a state approved contract was granted. Funding will come from the State Sharing Fund.

Resolution #1194 authorized two grant applications with the Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council for a Regional Solid Waste Grants Program grant. One is for $7,500 for purchase of minor equipment and supplies and dedication matters for law enforcement. The second is for $30,000 to be utilized for Source Reduction and Recycling Programs in Cimarron and Aladdin Villas.

Resolution #1195 authorized allowing Voicestream PCS II Corporation to operate an enterprise project under its original name, T-Mobile.

The council approved a memorandum of understanding with the Mission Consolidated Independent School District to allow up to 20 students from each high school to play golf while coaches are present. MCISD will pay the city $9,000 for the privileges.

In a final action the second monthly council meeting scheduled for December 24 was canceled.