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The Hays County Commissioners Court unanimously authorized the execution of an agreement between Hays County and Blanco River Ranch Properties, LP regarding the donation of property to the county for the Yarrington Road extension project at the regularly scheduled meeting. The project will include green space and walking trails in addition to the new road that will connect the roundabout near Hays City Store to Interstate 35.
Hays County Commissioner Lon Shell explained that the project, which has been in the Hays County Transportation Plan for a “long time,” involves the extension of FM 110 and Yarrington Road west from I-35 to connect with RM 150 in Kyle.
“This item concerns a good chunk of rightof- way needed for that road. The landowner… is willing to donate that right-ofway to the county, and that’s what this agreement would allow,” Shell said. “The value of that property is immense, as we all know, and it is a lot of right-of-way. And it is a good chunk of that extension. I do want to thank the landowner.”
Shell said the owner will be replatting the right-of-way and Hays County will reimburse them. The landowner would like the county to support them if they wish to create a Public Improvement District. According to the Texas Real Estate Source website, Texas “state statute grants cities and counties the authority to levy assessments against proper- ties in their district in order to fund specific improvements benefitting those properties.” Shell said that the landowner does not have set development plans, so the PID could encompass all or parts of the property.
“The other thing we ask for in this agreement is [that we] would be to create a Water Control Improvement District because we want to be able to have the homeowners or the commercial side of it cost participate in the cost of drainage,” said Albert Cortez, Blanco River Ranch project manager, adding that the drainage from the road and the development will be redirected into a new “creek of sorts” that will be surrounded by green space and trails.
Shell said the county would like to take care of drainage using best practices but also would like it to be aesthetically pleasing.
“We want to create something that isn’t just this giant concrete and asphalt road that goes through our Hill Country. We want to make it something that’s not just aesthetically pleasing but responsible for the environment,” Shell said. “I think management of that drainage and having a district that will allow those homeowners to share in the cost of … construction and ongoing maintenance of that drainage system and the amenities associated with it [would be beneficial].”
