Photo courtesy: City of Austin
Wednesday, November 22, 2023 Nina Hernandez
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is selling East Austin land to the city of Austin to make way for the Walnut Interceptor odor and corrosion remediation capital project.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board of Directors approved the sale of a small parcel of land at Loyola Lane and Johnny Morris Road to the city at Monday’s meeting. The agreement will allow the city to construct an odor control facility to address historic odor and corrosion issues facing the Walnut and Little Walnut wastewater ponds.
The size of the tank and the siphon can cause harmful odors to be released from the pressurized portion of the collection system and associated corrosion problems. The city proposed a wastewater “odor control” facility after the existing wastewater arresting device failed. Construction on the Capital Improvement Project is scheduled to begin in 2024 and be completed in 2025.
Austin has given Capital Metro 1.385 of about 44 acres of land it owns along Loyola Lane between the future Green Line and the Mokan Corridor, named after the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad that extends to Georgetown. He would pay $1,499,673 in exchange for the acres. I once had surgery there. Capital He Metro acquired this land, which is bisected by Johnny Morris Road, in 2006 as a future transit-oriented development site and station complex. The western half of the site is encumbered by the City of Pflugerville’s existing source water line easement.
Ken Cartwright, Capital Metro’s vice president of construction and facilities, said the city initially pursued the site under state enforcement law, but Capital Metro settled and the city offered the land at market value. He said he has decided to allow the purchase. Capital Metro will abide by this arrangement as long as the city’s wastewater improvement project does not impair or slow development of Capital Metro’s remaining assets.
“And they’ve been looking for sites to put certain infrastructure in this vicinity, and they’ve identified this as the only possible site for this odor control facility in this particular area.” Cartwright said.
The city hired independent appraisal firm Hornsby & Company to determine the fair market value of the property, which found the total value of 60,349 square feet to be $1,499,673. Capital Metro agreed with this assessment.
“Since we agree with this valuation, staff’s recommendation would be to move forward with this acquisition by the City of Austin,” Cartwright said.
The Board of Directors unanimously approved a resolution authorizing CEO Dottie Watkins to finalize the purchase and sale agreement.
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Category: Transportation, District 1
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