The Courier of Montgomery County reports that in order to diminish the effect of the growing load on the city’s water infrastructure, Conroe is looking to possibly set a fee schedule for multifamily development.
A plan that might include a fee for each unit and for swimming pools was proposed by Councilwoman Marsha Porter.
Porter said she didn’t want development stopped but wanted “responsible development.”
The council has approved a plan which lowers the number of units per acre from a dozen to six. Councilman Wood instead proposed a temporary timeline on lessening the number of units. His was the single vote against it.
Critical water issues came to the forefront last April when the council discovered its aging infrastructure was no longer up to speed with multifamily development. In June, an irrigation ordinance was set up limiting days of watering by local residents.
Since March of last year when the number of units per acre took effect, Councilmember Porter says only two developments have come under those guidelines. She said eight apartment facilities were grandfathered in when they did not have a majority vote. She said future burdens will be placed on water, sewer and traffic because of these complexes.
She said the change in the requirement from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality from one connection per complex to one water connection per unit has added to the problem.
Apartment complexes in Bryan and College Station and other cities, according to Potter, are at present charging apartment complexes a monthly fee to help deal with the drain on the water supply.
Comprising 37 percent of the city’s water customers, Conroe has 18,000 apartment units. According to Porter, about $2.1 million of revenue for water would be generated if a $10 fee was imposed on each unit.
There is a need to look at “all development including hospitals, assisted living and hotels,” according to Councilman Howard Wood.
Instead of taking care of only one part of the water issue, Councilwoman Porter thinks the city can be better served “with a comprehensive plan.”
