Ensuring that Missouri City has a visionary plan for future growth and development, Council members have passed two strategic plans that will assure the City’s continued high quality of life.

The Comprehensive Plan and the Trails Master Plan both were approved at the Sept. 21 City Council meeting and map out future growth, development and recreational trail and park systems within the City. From specifying upcoming land use and urban design standards to preserving the City’s natural resources, these blueprints outline realistic goals and strategies to manage the needs and increased development in Missouri City.

Designed with input from Missouri City residents, “the Comprehensive Plan sets the foundation of what the City will look like in the next 20 years and beyond,” said Ornita Green, the City’s Director of Planning. “It establishes the policies that guide our community’s impending growth.”

Missouri City’s population of nearly 70,000 is expected to increase by more than 10,000 over the next decade and to 100,000 by 2040. Anticipating the needs of a rapidly growing community, City officials crafted new Comprehensive and Trails Master plans to be able to effectively meet upcoming challenges. Separately, a Parks Master Plan was approved in 2008 and it projects and guides the future development of the City’s park system. With input from residents, a public survey and Parks Board members, the plan seeks to identify the assets and deficits of the park system and to set priorities that address those needs.

“We are proud of the three plans now in place because of the vital input from citizens, who were involved every step of the way throughout the 18-month process of developing these plans. They are based on the community’s vision of the future of our City,” said Assistant City Manager Bill Atkinson.

The previous Comprehensive Plan was adopted in 1990. Realizing the need for an updated system, the City held a Citizens Congress to update the plan in February 2008. During the first meeting, members formed groups to discuss three main topics: Growth and Development, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Amenities and Image.

“Parks planning is very important because any time you can bring together families and neighborhoods to have fun, it helps them look out for one another and drops the barriers between people,” said Parks Board member and Missouri City resident Henderson Hunter.

Subsequently, the Citizens Congress–residents, business owners and Planning Department staff-hosted public meetings to develop the Comprehensive Plan for the City. Green expects the new plan will be updated every five years.

1. Mayor Owen recognized State Senator Joan Huffman for her help and assistance in securing the matching grant from Texas Parks and Wildlife for the acquisition of the Quail Valley Tennis Center.

2. Police Chief Fitzgerald and staff were presented with their certificate of “Recognized Status” from the Texas Police Chiefs Association. The department had to become compliant with 160 standards for best practices to receive this status. Only 18 other police agencies in the State have received this status. Officer Donna Quackenbush was also recognized as she was the driving force behind getting all the necessary information compiled and making changes to procedures so the department was compliant.

3. Consent agenda was approved which included approval of meeting minutes, executing an inter local agreement with Fort Bend MUD #46 for emergency generator services, awarding a contract for cleaning bunker gear, authorizing the purchasing of copiers and executing an inter local agreement for the construction of a water line between Fort Bend County MUD #26 and the City.

4. Council approved the City’s Comprehensive Plan with changes requested at the last Council Meeting. The Comprehensive Plan is the City’s guiding document for development for the next 2 decades.

5. Council agreed to provide the owners of 2123 South Fountain Valley with 30 days to clean up the swimming pool, or the City will demolish the pool and place a lien on the home.

6. Council authorized the following: recording of the 2009 tax values, awarding a contract for employee benefits, executing a letter of agreement with Quail Valley MUD for reimbursements for the relocation of a force main and water line, and executing a agreements with Ft. Bend MUD #47 & 48 for a Regional Wastewater Treatment Facilities agreement.

7. Pastor Rudy White provided an update on the construction plans for the Christian Bible Baptist Church. The Church’s architectural firm are making the final modifications to the plans and the hope is for construction to begin by early October.

8. Resident Rick Paredez addressed Council with concerns about his water bill and the fluctuation in usage amounts.

9. Council passed an ordinances regulating discharges to the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System, approving the Trails Master Plan and amending terms of retirement benefits.

10. Council passed an ordinance for the issue of certificates of obligation (bonds) for the construction of the Surface Water treatment plant. It was noted that the City has excellent ratings with both Moody (AAA3) and Standard and Poor (AA-) due to the City’s strong financial position and good financial practices. Timing on issuing these bonds has also been very favorable, because interest rates on bonds have dropped recently, which will save the City approximately $4.3 million in interest payments.

11. Council nominated Lee Dugan III for re-election to the Board of Directors of the Fort Bend Appraisal District.

This summer has been hard on gardens. Put some new color in your landscape, the Quail Valley Garden Club is sponsoring a Fall Annual Bedding Plant sale of popular varieties to plant for color throughout our cooler months. Order by October 1 for October 8 delivery. Contact Nancy Lindsay at 281 499-2047 or visit http://traction.typepad.com/QVGC for an order form and to select your favorite plants and color. Proceeds go to neighborhood beautification efforts.

Winners are Rose Ann and Jack Acosta of 2803 Glenn Lakes. The Acosta’s corner lot garden is a manicured beauty of lovely oaks, color and texture. It’s indeed wonderful to have such a beautiful, well kept garden at this busy corner of Glenn Lakes and Crow Valley. The Acosta’s received a gorgeous plan by Flower by Adela (http://www.flowersbyadela.com/) that is a long-time sponsor and supporter of beautification in our community and Fort Bend County.

http://traction.typepad.com/qvgc/yard-of-the-month.html

Quail Valley Garden Club wins first place in the State of Texas for Community Garden Design for its beautification of the Ridgeview Park Arbor in Missouri City. Working with Kelly Snook, Missouri City Parks and Recreation Director, the club not only paid for the design, planting and irrigation system, but also funds monthly maintenance and seasonal color changes as part of an ongoing civic commitment to enriching our community. Each year the Federation of Garden Clubs judge by division, district and state various kinds of projects. Quail Valley Garden Club also received national recognition for this project.

To see a photo of the award-winning arbor or learn more about the meeting click or copy/paste into your web browser
http://traction.typepad.com/QVGC

1. The Mayor honored State Rep Charlie Howard for all his years of service to the citizens of Missouri City and in particular to his help and assistance in getting the matching grant for the Tennis Center acquisition approved and funded through the Texas Parks and Wildlife budget. The upcoming fiscal budget was very tight and there were only 2 grants approved for parks this year.

2. Stacy Walker is joining the Communications staff as the Public Information Manager.

3. Consent agenda was approved which included approval of meeting minutes, an interlocal agreement w/ Fort Bend County, awarding a contract for parking lot expansion at the Public Safety Headquarters, contract for plan review services, purchasing of two new vehicles and purchase of HVAC equipment for the EOC (Emergency Operations Center).

4. Property owner in Hunters Glen gave an update on regarding the status of repairs on their home.

5. Staff presented the Comprehensive Planning document to Council. The document is the master plan for the development of the city, including land use, mobility, roads, parks and rec, etc. The plan looks approximately 15 years into the future..

6. David Hamner was reappointed to TIRZ #1.

7. Council authorized the reimbursement of Developer Advances for Lake Shore Harbour Subdivision.

8. Council authorized the purchase of property to provide access for hole #16 on the Quail Valley La Quinta golf course.

9. Council authorized the following relating to the Surface Water treatment plant: purchasing of 60 acres for additional detention, awarding a contract for grading and the purchase of the water filtration system. Awarding the contract for the grading was moved up in the construction time line due to favorable pricing; the grading was originally estimated to cost $3.6 million; given the market conditions, the lowest bid came in at $1.78 million.

10. Resident Rhonda Johnson addressed Council congratulating the Missouri City Police Department on its recent awards and hopes that the manner in which resident complaints are handled by the department are now changed.

11. A resident for Colony Lakes addressed Council regarding increased traffic and noise on Oilfield Road and asked Council to consider putting up solid wall.

12. Following ordinances passed: amending the Public Infrastructure Design Manual rules and regulations for storm water detention and residential slab elevations, establishing a speed limit of 35mph on the Missouri City portion of 5th Street, regulating discharges to the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System, adopting the Trails Master Plan and amending terms and conditions of retirement benefits for City employees.

13. Staff has been authorized to issue Texas Certificates of Obligation in the amount of $5.5 million. These funds will be re-paid from TIRZ funds.

14. Council agreed to participate in a rate case against CenterPoint energy, joining other area cities, to hopefully negotiate better rates for the residents than what the Railroad Commission would award.

15. A special meeting was held before the regular Council Meeting to discuss possible regulations of lawn care providers and to set the calendar for public hearings and meetings for adopting the 2009 tax rate.

If you’re in the market for cars, trucks, electronics, jewelry, office equipment and bicycles, Missouri City’s annual public auction of surplus property is a shopper’s paradise. These items and more will be on display beginning at 8 a.m. on Sat., Sept. 19, in the parking lot of the City Hall complex, 1522 Texas Parkway. The auction starts at 10 a.m. and concludes when the final item is sold.

All purchases must be removed from the site by 4 p.m. on Saturday. Some of the goodies to be auctioned off include DVDs, jewelry and watches, car radio/CD players, a digital camera, a video cassette recorder, a DVD/VCR player, a DVD Home Theater System, storage cabinets, desks, chairs, shelving, personal computers, printers, exercise equipment, televisions and a batwing mower.

All purchases must be paid for in full on Saturday by cash, a personal check, a cashier’s check or a company check with a bank letter of guarantee. All sales are final. Proceeds will go back into the City’s coffers. For more information, please call Ernie Croucher Auctioneers at 281-341-9169.

Based upon community input and response, Quail Valley Fund embarked on updating and ratifying new deed restrictions in the 16 sections that make up the Fund HOA area approximately 18 months ago.

“I am pleased to report that we have now ratified and filed 14 sections. Tony DeSantis and his group of volunteers have been tireless in getting the necessary signatures,” said Charlie Butera, Quail Valley Fund President.

The goal of new deed restrictions is to insure the Homeowners Association and the property owners continue to maintain Quail Valley as one of the premier communities in Fort Bend County. Many of the previous deeds restrictions were original to when Quail Valley was developed back in the 1970’s.

“The process to bring property owners compliant with violations has not changed” mentioned Cecil Willis, Executive Director. “Owners who are found to be in violation will first receive a post card notifying them of the violation and requesting the issue be remedied. If the situation has not been remedied or if the owner has not taken action to take care of the problem, the owner is then provided notice by certified letter that the situation is now being turned over to the Fund’s attorney’s to pursue legal recourse.” Over 88% of the reported violations are corrected with post card notifications.

“The job of the HOA Board is to protect owners’ property values,” said Butera. “We are not one of those “rouge” HOAs that you hear about on the News that cite homeowners for having the wrong colored pot in their front yard. However, we do cite owners who do not maintain their property within the rules outlined in the deed restrictions. No one wants to live next door to a poorly maintained house with trash in the front yard, fences in disrepair or cars parked in the grass. Our job is to protect the curb appeal of the neighborhood.”

The new deed restrictions also strengthened the architectural controls that the Architectural Control Committee (ACC) is responsible to enforce. “If you are planning to make any visible changes to the outside of your home, it is necessary to seek approval of the ACC,” said Willis. “The purpose of the ACC is to insure that any changes are harmonious with the neighborhood and meet code requirements.”

If you have questions regarding deed restrictions or procedures for the ACC, please call the Fund office at 281-499-8371. Deed restrictions are also available on the Fund’s website at www.quailvalleyfund.org.