Friday, Nov. 21, 2008

Fort Worth eyes annexation

POST A COMMENT

By SANDRA ENGELLAND

Two large chunks of unincorporated Tarrant County may soon be absorbed by Fort Worth.

The City Council is scheduled to vote Dec. 16 on annexing a pair of semirural parcels, which total 712 acres, in the far north section of the city.

The largest parcel is 534 acres north of the Villages of Woodland Springs subdivision, east of Alta Vista Road and west of U.S. 377.

Christ’s Haven Home for Children, south of Keller-Haslet Road, is the largest property in the parcel. It and the nearby Buddhist temple would be zoned as community facilities, according to Forth Worth’s annexation plans.

The planned zoning for areas around Sunset Circle and nearby Oak Haven Drive calls for single-family homes on half-acre lots.

An industrial area along the highway and some adjacent 5,000-square-foot single family lots are also included.

The second parcel is a 178-acre swath south of Keller-Hicks Road between Katy and Alta Vista roads. It includes the Pine Tree Estates mobile home park, as well as various light industrial and commercial firms.

In all, 367 homes would be absorbed by Fort Worth if the council approves the annexation.

What the city says

City Councilman Sal Espino, whose District 2 surrounds both parcels, said the annexation of pockets of unincorporated land within Fort Worth boundaries is a common practice.

Allison Gray, the city’s planning manager, said annexing the enclaves surrounded by Fort Worth would provide for efficiency of services and managing proper land use. Unincorporated areas of the county have no zoning, so an industrial plant can open right next to a neighborhood.

Gray said the annexations of the two parcels have been part of the city plan since 2005, and officials have held several public meetings to talk to residents and business owners. She was unsure if annexing the land on the south side of Keller-Hicks would impact plans for widening the road.

Espino said the city would benefit by having more taxpayers on the rolls and residents would gain access to city fire, police and ambulance service and better roads in the future.

"I know annexation is often not easy, but the city is committed to providing services to those areas," he said.

What residents say

Some residents are worried their semirural properties will face much higher taxes without realizing significant benefits.

"Everyone I’ve talked to feels the same way: We wish the city would stay out," said Velsie Vest, who lives in one of 43 homes in the Sunset Circle area.

Vest and her husband moved from Watauga to the neighborhood just off Caylor Road more than eight years ago. They live and work on their 6-acre property. The couple has an air conditioning business. And for a hobby, Vest raises sheep, chickens and horses.

Her husband rushed an office addition which he had planned for a later date because annexation allows current uses to remain but he fears it may restrict future expansion. Vest had wanted another shelter for her sheep and horses but may not get it built in time.

"We chose this area because of the rural atmosphere. I just hope the city doesn’t ruin it," she said.

Colleen Demel, a resident of Woodland Springs and executive director of the 19-neighborhood group North Fort Worth Alliance , said the annexations appeared to be inevitable, but she was concerned that Fort Worth could not provide adequate roads and emergency response to all the areas the city is absorbing.

"Can the city take care of what it is annexing and provide the services that are needed?" she said. "Right now it doesn’t."

For homeowners in the affected areas, the annexation has a huge impact on their taxes. They now pay an emergency services fee to the county of 6.4 cents per $100 of assessed tax value. Fort Worth city taxes are among the highest in the area at 85.5 cents per $100 in value. Keller city tax rate is 43 cents; Watauga’s rate is 58 cents.

For a resident with a property valued at $200,000, the change translates to an increase of almost $1,600 a year.

Vest said she and many of her neighbors were not interested in most of the services Fort Worth could provide. They all have septic or aerobic water treatment systems, and they pay for private trash pickup. She was told that they did not have to hook into the city sewer system, but she would like to see the city provide larger water lines and fire hydrants in the neighborhood. Vest said she doubted the positive changes would come anytime soon.

"All it’s going to do is raise our taxes," Vest said.

As far as emergency response, she said the sheriff’s department has frequent patrols in the area. She worried that Fort Worth police would not have the same presence.

What the school district says

Mark Youngs, deputy superintendent for the Keller school district, said the annexation would be a positive move for the district if it resulted in the widening of Keller-Hicks Road from Park Vista Boulevard to U.S. 377.

In addition to the two schools at the southwest corner of Keller-Hicks and Alta Vista roads, the district owns a maintenance facility on the southeast corner where 100 buses are stationed.

Getting buses in and out of the parking area would be much improved with a wider road, Youngs said.

"That would be a great benefit to the district and to the homeowners in Woodland Springs," he said.