In a push to end the year strong, the City Council approved a developer’s agreement with Sarita Valley Ranch for water and wastewater improvements.
At the Dec. 17 meeting, the Council approved an agreement with Reagan & FM 2243, Ltd., for the construction of the Brushy Creek Wastewater Interceptor and an oversized, 30-inch water line across East Crystal Falls Parkway and along Reagan Boulevard from East Crystal Falls Parkway to FM 2243. The wastewater interceptor will connect from County Road 179 to the planned, mixed-use subdivision on 326 acres.
The project also includes an option to extend the interceptor to the vicinity of Reagan Boulevard and the Brushy Creek vicinity.
City Engineer Wayne Watts said the project will “result in the removal of major barriers of insufficient water and wastewater infrastructure that have impeded development in the Reagan corridor for years.
“It’s been a long time coming,” he said.
Developers and residents along the Reagan/Parmer corridor have had a hard time selling or developing their land because city water and wastewater services have not reached that area. The city waits to install the lines until a developer pays for the improvements.
The Sarita Valley Ranch developer will cover the construction costs initially. The city will reimburse up to $500,000 for the water line and will bear the cost of the wastewater improvements.
Watts said because of current construction prices, he expects the cost of the wastewater job to be lower than the projected price of $3.5 million  Part of the project will include tying the city’s wastewater lines into Cedar Park’s lines.
The two cities have yet to reach a price agreement on the connecting point.
“We still have to finalize with Cedar Park on the price,” City Manager Biff Johnson said. “We do have $1.2 million credit” for the deal.
Watts said the facilities for the development should be “in place by next year.”
In other news, a design change for the raw water transmission line along Trails End Road dropped the $1.48 million easement acquisition cost by $200,000. The price change was prompted when the cities of Leander, Round Rock and Cedar Park changed the placement of a portion of the water line along the lake bottom of Sandy Creek.