MCLENNAN COUNTY, Texas — Waco's City Planning Commission voted Tuesday to move forward with annexing 153.722 acres of land in the Chalk Bluff area that the city purchased in 2023 for future infrastructure.
- Neighbors are pushing back on the proposal, with their primary concern being a potential wastewater treatment plant that could begin its design phase in 2030 and threaten the Brazos River.
- Residents also raised concerns about property value depreciation, road damage from construction, harm to a local pecan business, and the burden additional residential development could place on the Connally school system.
- The annexation proposal now heads to City Council for a final vote.
You can watch the full story here:
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Waco's City Planning Commission voted Tuesday night to move forward with annexing property in the Chalk Bluff area. Neighbors say they weren't consulted and are raising concerns about what could be built there — including a potential wastewater treatment plant.
In 2023, the City of Waco purchased 150 acres of land in the Chalk Bluff area with plans for future infrastructure. The City is now proposing to annex the land to ensure City-owned property falls within the it's jurisdiction. But neighbors who live next to the property say they are disappointed with the proposal.
"The City, under a veil of secrecy,bought that land with the intention of putting a wastewater treatment plant," Ralph Getman said.
Others questioned the financial logic of the purchase.
"Buying a piece of property and then annexing it when there's no possible use for it since it's in the flood plain and there's no probable use of running any city services to it is a waste of our taxpayer money," Jeanna Maughan said.
The land is being zoned as residential. Neighbors raised concerns about the burden an increased population could place on Chalk Bluff and the Connally school system.
The primary concern, however, centers on the potential for a wastewater treatment plant to begin its design phase in 2030 — and what that could mean for the Brazos River.
"The kids down at Cameron Park, when it floods, they're playing down there and splashing on the sidewalks. There's going to be raw sewage in that because every time we have big floods, the wastewater treatment center that is already here, it overflows and spills over. Both of them do. There's two already here," Jeanna Maughan said.
Maughan also drew a comparison to other Texas cities to underscore the concern.
"No one in San Antonio would put a wastewater treatment center upstream from their downtown," she said.
Neighbors also raised concerns about property value depreciation, road damage from construction, and potential harm to a local pecan business.
"The property actually part of it drains right into our property, and so if there were any kind of spillage on the property, it's gonna drain partially into our orchards, which I can't rightfully say that I've got organic pecans anymore once these chemicals, uh, pollutants come into the property," Mark Blanpied said.
The City says it is not required to annex the land in order to build a wastewater treatment plant there. In a statement, the City said, "The proposed annexation and the potential future wastewater treatment plant are separate matters. The City is not required to annex property in order to construct a wastewater treatment plant, as demonstrated by the existing Bull Hide and Central wastewater treatment plants, which have operated in the City's extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) for decades.
The purpose of the proposed annexation is to incorporate City-owned property into the city limits so it falls under the City's regulatory authority, including zoning, allows for the provision of municipal services, and aligns with the City's long-term planning and growth management efforts.
It's important to note that the City Council has taken no formal action to begin design, engineering, permitting, or construction of a third wastewater treatment plant. At this point, the City has acquired property to preserve future options should additional wastewater capacity be needed. The timeline previously shared during public outreach has also shifted approximately one year, with engineering activities now anticipated to begin around 2030."
The vote now heads to City Council, where members will decide whether to approve the annexation. 25 News' Dominique Leh did reach out to the City of Waco to confirm the amount the city paid for the land, and for when the final annexation vote will take place, but the City has not returned our request.
You can view the meeting here.
Slides from the Planning commission meeting can be seen below:
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