Memorial TIRZ considers land purchase to reduce flooding

Long-held plans to add storm water detention in a flood-prone area of Memorial City are under scrutiny after a potential project site received a low cost-benefit ratio in a fast-tracked engineering report.

Memorial City TIRZ 17, a special-purpose district of the city of Houston, is considering purchase of the 9.5-acre site, located west of Gessner on Westview, to build a long-needed regional detention basin. In November, the TIRZ 17 board asked Klotz & Associates to fast-track a feasibility study of the project.

The feasibility report was delivered in December. It suggests the project could add about 65 acre feet of storm water detention and remove up to 50 structures from flooding at a cost of $21 million to build, including $15.5 million for land acquisition. The report can be viewed online under the "meetings" tab at www.houstontirz17.org.

In a special meeting Jan. 8, TIRZ 17 board members took issue with the resulting cost-benefit ratio in the report's summary, saying it doesn't add up and could "torpedo" the project's approval by the city of Houston.

Board member John Rickel called the summary "troubling" after he was later told the engineering firm did not actually do a cost-benefit analysis of the project. In addition, the report's conclusion ignores long-term benefits that could be derived if repetitive flood losses are avoided and new development occurs in areas removed from flood zones, he said.

"I'm thinking there are some pretty important issues we as a board need to come to grips with. Clearly, we have a report sitting with Andy Icken (Houston's chief development officer) that I think is flawed," Rickel said.

TIRZ 17 spent more than $1 million on a regional drainage study of the Memorial City area that was finalized in 2012 and identified areas where storm water detention is needed. Done by the Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam firm, the regional study can be viewed online at www.houstontirz17.org. TIRZ 17 officials have since been challenged to locate an affordable site for detention in this fast-growth area.

Klotz engineer Gary Struzik acknowledged his firm used a different method than the regional study to evaluate the site now eyed for purchase. However, the method is commonly used by the city, he said, adding that TIRZ 17 can consider non-engineering factors in its decision about the project.

"Either it is economically justifiable or it isn't," said Rickel.

He and board member Brad Freels also questioned what method Klotz used when it recommended improving the existing Conrad Sauer detention basin near Gessner and Interstate 10. TIRZ 17 has pledged about $23 million for that project, which is expected to boost the facility's detention capacity from 31 acre feet to 62.5 acre feet.

Following its discussion, the TIRZ board directed Klotz to detail how it arrived at the cost-benefit ratio in the feasibility report and provide comparative analyses using the regional drainage study method and the method used for the Conrad Sauer project. The board expects to review the information at its regular meeting on Jan. 27.