What the North Creek Prop A acquisition actually does

GUEST COMMENTARY

Kendall County Commissioners Court recently voted to move forward with acquiring about 120 acres on and adjacent to North Creek near Comfort, using funds from the voter-approved Proposition A conservation bond program. Because there has been some confusion about what that means, I want to explain it plainly.

Kendall County voters approved Proposition A by a twothirds majority in 2022. In simple terms, it allows the county to use bond funds to purchase land or conservation easements from willing property owners for public benefit, including conservation, open space, natural resources, water quality, wildlife habitat and recreation.

Public dollars are paid to property owners. In return, the public receives land or conservation easements that would otherwise remain privately controlled and potentially subject to more intensive development.

The proposed North Creek acquisition includes approximately 120 acres. Roughly 70 acres lie within the North Creek floodplain and riparian corridor, while approximately 50 acres are usable upland with potential for future public recreation.

Floodplain acreage is not inherently low-value land. Floodplain and riparian areas can provide substantial conservation, water-quality, habitat and public open-space benefits, and Kendall County’s Proposition A program has recognized that value before.

Commissioners Court accepted the recommendation of the Prop A Committee to purchase the Gill Tract, a 48.17-acre property on the Guadalupe River and in the floodplain, for public park access and conservation. Gill cost approximately $1.35 million, or about $28,120 per acre.

By comparison, the North Creek property is proposed at $2.5 million, or approximately $20,833 per acre.

The properties are not identical, and land values depend on many factors. But the comparison makes an important point: floodplain acreage has not been considered without value under Proposition A.

The Guadalupe River Ranch, another major Proposition A investment, combines conservation, river access, open space and future recreation, including potential trail and paddling connections with Kreutzberg Canyon.

North Creek also offers conservation and recreation value. Its 50 acres of upland could support future recreational opportunities for the Comfort area, including youth recreation. Comfort-area residents have expressed a real need for more opportunities for young people, and recreation is one of the public purposes contemplated by Proposition A.

Proposition A funds would not be used to build baseball fields or other recreational facilities, and there is no plan to use county funds for their construction. Local youth sports organizations have private funders interested in helping develop future facilities.

Flooding is a natural part of Hill Country watersheds, but development upstream can increase impervious cover and change how quickly and forcefully stormwater moves downstream.

Higher runoff volumes and velocities can contribute to erosion, loss of riparian vegetation, property damage, greater downstream flooding and, in severe events, threats to life and safety. Preserving creek corridors and floodplain land therefore has conservation value beyond whether buildings can be placed on it.

Likewise, Proposition A funds are not being used to construct a flood-control project. Kendall County has previously commissioned flood studies identifying flood-mitigation needs in the North Creek/Cypress Creek area. Public ownership may create an opportunity to evaluate future measures, but any such project would be separate from Proposition A and require engineering, permitting and separate state or federal funding.

There has also been confusion about groundwater rights. Those rights are not going to a private developer. They will be held by Comfort WCID No. 1, a local public entity serving the Comfort community.

Kendall County is not a water utility or water purveyor, making WCID No. 1 the appropriate public entity to hold them.

The court made its decision to move forward publicly. The contract and closing process come next, as they do in any real-estate transaction, and any further action requiring Commissioners Court approval will occur through the appropriate public process.

Ultimately, the question is whether this acquisition provides meaningful public value consistent with what voters approved under Proposition A.

In my judgment, it does.

It preserves creek and riparian acreage, protects open space, provides usable land for potential public recreation, keeps groundwater rights in public hands, and creates future opportunities for conservation, recreation, and flood-mitigation planning.

This is a public land acquisition for long-term public benefit.

Andra Wisian serves Precinct 2 on the Kendall County Commissioners Court.