City Council Notes • Recent news • February 2009

City Council Notes • Recent news • February 2009

By Amy Stansbury Friday, 06 February 2009

Pflugerville

City issues bonds

The Pflugerville City Council authorized a $3 million general obligation bond issuance in January at a rate of 5.16 percent. Voters passed the bond package in May 2008 as part of a $7 million bond to expand to the Pflugerville Community Library. The $3 million is the first of two bond issuances, and the city plans to issue the remaining $4 million in December.

The city is preparing a request for proposals to select an architect for the library improvement project, which is expected to be complete in early 2011. The project will expand the library from 10,000 sq. ft. to approximately 43,000 sq. ft.

The city also issued $11.5 million* in certificates of obligation bonds in January at a rate of 5.3 percent. These C.O. bonds will fund the following road projects:

• Pflugerville Parkway from Great Basin Avenue to Greenlawn Boulevard: $3 million
• Kelly Lane from Murchison Ridge Trail to Villamoura: $3 million
• Heatherwilde Boulevard north: $2 million
• Pflugerville Parkway east from FM 685 to Toll 130: $2.5 million
• Pfennig Lane from Wal-Mart to Rocky Creek: $300,000

*$700,000 in issuance fees are included in the $11.5 million total C.O. bond amount.

Bond rating raised

The city’s bond rating on existing general obligation debt was raised to AA- from A+ by Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services. The city’s continued economic expansion coupled with its ability to maintain strong reserves while managing significant growth pressures was cited for the reason. Standard & Poor’s also assigned its AA- standard long-term rating to Pflugerville’s $11.5 million series 2009 combination tax and revenue certificates of obligation and $3 million series 2009 limited tax bonds. The outlook on the ratings is stable. As the bond rating goes up, the risk associated with the investment decreases, resulting in more favorable pricing.

Vision for downtown

The City of Pflugerville collected public input in January on a draft report outlining the vision for downtown Pflugerville. The report was prepared by a team of consultants, Kendig Keast Collaborative and José Martinez LLC, who were hired by the city to identify a vision for downtown.

The report was created after a series of public meetings called Old Town Vision were held in October to gather input on priorities, concerns and expectations of commercial property owners, businesses and neighborhood residents. Discussions included what the community believes is important in attracting visitors and encouraging economic growth in Old Town, and how to balance residential and commercial interests. The report is available for download on the city website, www.cityofpflugerville.com.

Comprehensive Plan

After a request for proposals was issued, proposals from 14 firms were received and the council approved a resolution allowing city staff members to begin negotiations with a team led by Town Planning and Urban Design Collaborative, LLC. to create an updated Comprehensive Plan for the city. The plan will serve as the principal guide for daily planning decisions on growth and development. The Comprehensive Plan dictates all development regulations such as land use, subdivisions and site plans, roadway plans, public improvements, public utility projects, public facilities and all regulatory actions relating to land use, subdivision and development. The new Comprehensive Plan is expected to be complete in 10 to 12 months.

Upcoming Pflugerville City Council meetings

Feb. 10 and 24

• Work sessions begin at 6:30 p.m.
• Regular meetings begin at 7:30 p.m.
• 100 E. Main Street, Ste. 500, Pflugerville

Round Rock

1 — New city hall design concepts

The city hired Architecture Plus and Barnes Gromatsky Kosarek Architects to design the new city hall that will be located in southwest downtown Round Rock, four blocks west of the existing city hall on Main Street.

Basic city hall design concepts were presented at the Jan. 22 council meeting. The proposed building features include a large, shaded porch, a tower and glassed-in council chambers. A large grassy area is planned for outside the building, and stadium berm seating near the amphitheater was included in the design plans.

The council is pursuing a public-private partnership with Waterstone Development for the building, which is estimated to be 55,000 to 60,000 sq. ft. The partnership would have the city occupying approximately 20,000 sq. ft. initially, with the remainder leased out by Waterstone, but giving the city the opportunity to grow into the lease space in the future. The council approved a memorandum of understanding with Waterstone Dec. 18, 2008.

The new city hall is expected to be complete in late 2010.

2 — West side recreation center

Design is underway on a new west side recreation center on Round Rock High School’s property next to the Micki Kresbach Pool on Deepwood Drive. Round Rock Parks and Recreation Director Rick Atkins presented concepts to the city council Jan. 22 that included a field house concept with a Teflon roof. Features include an indoor turf field for soccer or lacrosse, an indoor track, a cardio and weight room, and aerobics, fitness and dance space. The facility is meant to complement features of the Clay Madsen Recreation Center on Gattis School Road, and joint membership for both facilities is being considered.

Voters approved funding for the project in a 2001 bond election. The $7 million for the recreation center has been planned to be included in the third issuance of these bonds, which occurred in July 2007. The facility is expected to open in December 2010.

3 — Downtown master plan

The City of Round Rock hosted a week-long event Jan. 12-16 led by architecture firm Torti Gallas and Partners. The series of meetings, referred to as a charrette, allowed residents and business owners to provide input into the development of the city’s downtown master plan. Throughout the week, the design team, city staff and members of the community gathered to brainstorm, generate ideas, define problems and suggest possible solutions to help improve the downtown area. Design concepts were created that incorporate a master plan with integrated transportation and land uses to promote a larger, thriving downtown area with residential, commercial and retail.

Upcoming Round Rock City Council meetings

Feb. 12 and 26

• Work sessions begin at 6:30 p.m.
• Regular meetings begin at 7 p.m.
• 221 E. Main Street, Round Rock