Title
Reedy Creek Stream Restoration Project
Action
Action:
A. Approve $260,000 for the purchase of approximately 21 acres of Conservation Easement located on Tax Parcels 105-11-107 and 105-15-401 from Mecklenburg County, and
B. Authorize the City Manager to execute any and all documents necessary to comply with the terms of the Purchase Agreement.
Body
Staff Resource(s):
William Harris, Engineering & Property Management
Jennifer Smith, Engineering & Property Management
Charles Anzalone, Engineering & Property Management
Explanation
§ Reedy Creek Stream Restoration is a design-build project located in and adjacent to the Reedy Creek Nature Preserve.
§ The Reedy Creek Stream Restoration project seeks to restore or enhance the headwaters of Reedy Creek while generating stream mitigation credit. Total length of streams to be restored is approximately 25,477 feet (4.82 miles).
§ The total length of streams to be restored on the two parcels related to this action is 6,018 feet (1.14 miles).
§ For the past year, the City had been negotiating with the private property owner to obtain conservation easement needed on two parcels. The City was offering the owner $260,000 for the 21-acre conservation easement.
§ Because the parcels are undeveloped and contiguous to the Reedy Creek Nature Preserve, Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation expressed interest in partnering with the City to purchase the two parcels in their entirety for use as nature preserve and to convey the needed easement to the City for the already budgeted and agreed upon amount of $260,000.
§ On November 4, 2015, the Board of County Commissioners approved the purchase of the two parcels, totaling 97 acres, for $1.825 million.
§ Storm Water Services is purchasing the property rather than placing the transaction on the Real Estate Transfer Ledger because properties used by Storm Water Services are not eligible for transfer under the Real Estate Transfer Ledger Agreement.
§ The agreement between the City and Mecklenburg County will ensure that the stream corridors will be enhanced through the City project and protected with conservation easement. The designation and maintenance of the parcels as nature preserve provides additional overall environmental benefit to the watershed.
Background
§ On January 27, 2014, the City Council approved a contract with Wildlands Engineering in the amount of $900,000 for engineering services on the Reedy Creek Stream Restoration Project. Prior to construction, an amendment to this contract will be brought to the City Council following negotiation of the guaranteed maximum price. The contract amendment will include all costs to complete the project through construction, warranty, and mitigation monitoring.
§ Stream restoration is the process of converting a degraded, eroding stream corridor to a stable condition.
§ Stream restoration projects generate mitigation credit that can be used to offset stream and wetland impacts on public projects.
§ When a construction project impacts a stream, the Clean Water Act often requires public projects to mitigate impacts to streams and wetlands by restoring similar features elsewhere, or to pay a mitigation fee into a publicly held fund or bank.
§ In 2004, the City established a Stream Restoration Mitigation Bank to hold mitigation credits that can be used later by City, Mecklenburg County, and Charlotte-Mecklenburg School public projects. Without the City Bank, all public entities impacting streams were paying mitigation fees to the state of North Carolina, which in turn were being used in other parts of the State.
§ Mitigation credits are currently sold by the bank to individual projects, which allows the Storm Water Program to recoup the cost associated with restoring streams.
Fiscal Note
Funding: Storm Water Community Investment Plan
Attachments
Attachment
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