City of Fort Worth grows by 712 acres with annexation

 BY LESLIE WIMMER December 22, 2008

Fort Worth is now 712 acres larger.

The City Council voted Dec. 16 to annex two patches of land between Fort Worth and Keller into Council District 2. A decision on zoning designations will come in January.

The first area annexed, west of U.S. Highway 377 and south of Keller Hicks Road, covers just over 177 acres.

The second area contains just over 534 acres, west of U.S. Highway 377 and south of Westport Parkway near AllianceTexas.

Fort Worth annexed the two areas to enable orderly development, said City Council member Sal Espino, who represents District 2.

Prior to the annexation, Espino's district boundaries along Highway 377 had lined up to the annexed land.

"Cities have both their territorial jurisdiction and other areas called extraterritorial jurisdiction, or ETJ," Espino said. "The City of Fort Worth has 300-plus square miles in its city limits and 300-plus in its ETJ."

He added that the land, which had been part of Fort Worth's extraterritorial jurisdiction, was annexed "in order to promote orderly development and enforce building code requirements. In annexing these areas, the city will take taxes but will provide police, fire, ambulances and all the services a city does.

"This far-north area has been the fastest-growing," Espino said. "These enclaves are really now basically urban in nature, with residential subdivisions [and] industrial parks. They use city roads. It has become essential that, as an annexation policy, the city move forward with providing orderly growth."

According to council reports, the larger area of annexed land has existing single-family, institutional and industrial areas, as well as vacant land. The smaller area has existing single-family manufactured housing, industrial areas and vacant land.

City services were a concern for two people who spoke to the City Council about the annexation vote. One speaker, a homeowner, said other previously annexed areas near her neighborhood have not received promised services. She voiced concern about the cost of city taxes. Another speaker, who rents out a property in the annexed area, expressed concerns about fire, police and water-line utilities.

"This is an area where there was a disputed service agreement with the City of Keller, and substandard [water] lines in this area, upon annexation, state law requires that we replace any substandard [water] lines within two years and we are prepared to do this," City Manager Dale Fisseler said at the meeting.

Espino added that Fort Worth has invested in several fire stations in new-growth areas, mostly in north Fort Worth, including a recently opened station near Alliance Gateway, another on the Northwest High School Campus near Highway 114 and Texas Motor Speedway and another on Blue Mound Road.

"While we understand the difficulties inherent with forced annexation, what happened is the city and urban community is enveloping a rural landscape, and these rural landscapes, if not protected with land use control and orderly services, gas wells could pop up with 200 feet of homes," Espino said.

 Fort Worth has been looking into roadway improvements in the area, including the area of North Beach Street, Espino said. These projects would be funded with bond-package funds approved in May of 2008.

Both areas were listed in Fort Worth's state-mandated annexation plan on Dec. 13, 2005, said Allison Gray, planning manager for the City of Fort Worth.

"The city has an annexation policy and an annexation program, and this area is in the annexation program," Gray said. "State law requires when a developed area with more than 100 residential units is up for annexation it has to be in a three-year plan. In December of 2005, those areas were placed in Fort Worth's annexation plan, and since that time we have complied an inventory of services. We have verified the services provided in the area now, and created a service plan that tells us how we will provide services to that area."

 Fort Worth's zoning commission has made recommendations to the City Council to zone the area with various designations to accommodate the existing buildings, Gray said. A formal vote is expected in January.