Santa Fe Mixed-Use Development
What is now named “Santa Fe” began under the code name “NK” or “North Kingland.” It is a 4,300-acre, fast-track mixed-use development being undertaken by our Client, Colony Ridge Land, LLC. Santa Fe will add 7,000 single family-lots, small and large retail centers, school sites, and parks to an area that, prior to other related development, had a population of approximately 900 people. Ultimately, Santa Fe and related projects are anticipated to add 140,000 people to the area over 15 years.
EARLY INVESTIGATION
Prior to putting the property under contract, Landplan Engineering worked with the Client to define the property boundary. Of course, this included delineating the parcels, but also due diligence regarding the property, which involved determining how much of the property was developable. Constraints addressed included major pipelines running both north/south and east/west as impediments to drainage; on-going timber operations; floodplain; possible wetland related issues; and access.
Pipelines had previously been the defining factor for Colony Ridge’s projects in the area, which span from the Tarkington and Luce Bayous on the east to the East Fork San Jacinto River on the west. A set of north/south pipelines established a barrier across which stormwater could not be directed, essentially serving as a boundary to development on the west side of the properties. A set of pipelines also established a southern boundary to property under consideration on its western third. Natural topography dictated that much of the development needed to be directed to the southeast, which would require two sets of pipeline crossings. Thus, initial due diligence required identifying the pipelines and their owners, any natural crossings within the subject property, and the requirements for crossing them with stormwater facilities.
Prior to closing on the property, it was incumbent on the team to determine that there was a means of crossing the pipelines, which included two east/west 30-inch diameter, 1,000 psi gas transmission lines owned by Kinder Morgan. Costs for relocating and/or crossing the various lines were developed. In the end, one line, which was not in operation, was lowered and crossed over; another was crossed over; and three were crossed underneath, essentially by a small manmade river serving as the backbone of the development’s drainage system.
Negotiations for acquisition of the land were intertwined with connection to the next phase of the Grand Parkway (metro-Houston’s new outer, outer ring highway). The seller retained a strip of land between the property being sold to Colony Ridge and the planned highway, with Colony Ridge responsible for constructing the road connection to the intersections. Landplan worked with both TxDOT and, through the Colony Ridge, the seller to design the alignment of the north side of the two intersections along the next section to be built of the Grand Parkway.
PLANNING
The early investigation contributed to an ever-evolving master plan. Well prior to the development of Santa Fe, the County Engineer had directed us to begin the planning and design of two major thoroughfares that would eventually lead to the Grand Parkway. Santa Fe brought about the design and planning of a third thoroughfare.
Two key considerations are illustrated in the early planning of Santa Fe.
First is inclusion of large parks, which in Santa Fe has 160 acres bordering the Luce Bayou that compliments the 50-acre riverside park of Grand San Jacinto along the East Fork San Jacinto River. Other green spaces shown above include two potential school sites, a combined detention pond and slightly elevated soccer/volleyball park, and a possible bus barn site for the School District.
Second is a departure from rectangular blocks. Santa Fe will incorporate different styles of housing than were planned in some of the adjacent developments. As such, view corridors in the flat areas are limited, changing away from long straight lines. Also, the topography and creeks immediately adjacent to the Luce Bayou in the southeast are utilized to enhance that neighborhood. After consideration of several options, it was decided to increase green space by utilizing “eyelets” with green centers and one-way circulation instead of traditional cul-de-sacs. Colony Ridge determined to redesign the eyelets to accommodate a new truck configuration. The one-way pavement around the eyelet was increased from 12 feet to 20 feet.
One of Several Alignments Reviewed
Early Master Plan of Santa Fe (southern half of above) and Contiguous Colony Ridge Developments
STORMWATER DRAINAGE
With a draft master plan in hand, the next step was to undertake a drainage study and design the backbone drainage system. This was complicated by the pipelines and the need to accommodate flows from a few hundred acres of the adjacent Grand San Jacinto development that had been designed to overflow to the south. Perhaps the biggest hurdle was the extreme lack of elevation differentials. One area had a drop of about only 5 feet over a distance exceeding a mile. The silver lining was, with very wide flat bottom channels with extremely low slope, a significant level of linear detention was achieved such that the County Engineer did not require additional pond-based detention, a decision supported by the fact that the development included floodplain areas to the southeast in the development.
The drainage study indicated that we needed to move approximately 2,000 cubic feet per second of water at the downstream end – essentially a small river. Getting construction of the backbone system is crucial to any development. Thus, the backbone drainage system had its own set of construction documents. The County requires a drainage study to be submitted with the preliminary plat; however, for Section One of Santa Fe, not only were the drainage calculations submitted to the County, but a complete set of construction documents for the backbone drainage system was also submitted.
A subset of the design of the backbone drainage plans was the two sets of pipeline crossings and obtaining the pipeline companies’ approvals. On the south end, we had to cross two of Kinder Morgan’s 30-inch 1,000 psi gas lines. Final approval required putting four boxes under those pipelines.
The crossing required hands-on/in-field attention of the contractors (RT Ellis and subs), Kinder Morgan, and Landplan. The scale of stormwater flow being accommodated is indicated by the size of the channel being constructed simultaneously and immediately downstream of the boxes. Landplan, with Texas Professional Surveying’s assistance, researched the pipelines, determined their depth, and negotiated the crossings. Ultimately, we dealt with only three pipeline companies as Kinder Morgan owned the two east/west lines and one of the north/south lines. Fortunately, Eastman’s line is not currently in service, so they were able to lower their line relatively inexpensively. The crossing of the north/south lines proved, however, to be major design challenge. The drainage channel crosses over the Kinder Morgan line and the newly lowered Eastman line and then drops into vertical boxes connecting to horizontal boxes under the Sunoco line.
The channel above is typical in that it is wide, but very shallow and will be dropped into the vertical boxes shown below after crossing over two other pipelines.
Channel Upstream of North/South Pipeline Crossing During Construction
Vertical Boxes to Drop Channel Shown Above Under the Sunoco Pipeline
Tracking Diagram for Tractor-Trailer with 45.5 Feet Overall Length through an Eyelet
Layout of Backbone Drainage System for Santa Fe
Four Stormwater Boxes Beneath Major Gas Lines
Channel Construction Downstream from Gas Lines Crossing
Over Kinder Morgan Line Protected by an “Underground Bridge,” Over Eastman Line After it was Lowered, and Under Sunoco Line with Flood Shielding Provided
TRAFFIC STUDIES/STREETS
Moving on the preliminary plat for Section One entailed starting on several steps of the traffic study. The traffic study has been a continuing task. It was incorporated and detail added in planning for Section
One’s preliminary and final plats and will be updated in the preliminary plat that will cover Sections Two, Three, and Four together. The County’s pavement thickness requirements are directly related to ultimate anticipated traffic. The traffic study was initially based on common statistics applied to the set of related developments and as applied to the conceptual road network planned for Section One of Santa Fe.
The Santa Fe street plan limits intersections with thoroughfares San Marcos, Las Vegas, and Community Drives. Within the commercial areas, most streets will have right in/right out turn lanes. Three large roundabouts are planned to avoid signalization and move traffic more freely. The roundabout at the Town Center will be expandable to 3 lanes if and when necessary. Up to 200,000 vehicles per day may pass the Town Center area. The traffic study results indicate that pavements constructed on the thoroughfares will have 7 inches of concrete.
Santa Fe Section One Conceptual Plan
CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS AND BEYOND
In Liberty County, the final plat must be accompanied by construction documents for streets and drainage. Section One encompasses approximately 1,800 lots, several times that of more common subdivision sections of 80 to 100 lots. The plan set, complete with a copy of the 16-sheet plat ran to a total of 202 sheets. As Utilities Investment is an investor-owned water and sewer utility, the water and sewer plans are in a separate set, not submitted to the County but submitted later to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
Planning currently underway for Sections Two, Three and Four includes possible school locations. The Cleveland ISD has requested that we work with all of our area developer Clients to find 14 school sites, primarily for elementary schools, as quickly as possible. Working with the School District’s architects/facility planners, we have been asked to accommodate up to 30 sites in the next 10 years. Statistics developed by Landplan were used to support the successful passage of the first step in adding schools, an $80 million bond issue.
It takes at best 18 to 24 months to get retail designed and built. Landplan, as a member of ICSC, represented the Town Center at this year’s International Council of Shopping Center’s RECON. We met with numerous retailers and retail developers and identified those with interest for further follow-up. Santa Fe and the adjacent developments will have added 34,000 residents by 2019 to an area with virtually no existing retail facilities and is two years before the opening of the Grand Parkway. The challenge is to convince grocery and other restaurants/retailers to open by 2019. Fortunately, the road system to the Town Center, including the thoroughfares, WILL be in place. This provides an opportunity for retailers to gain customers before highway access is open, but running counter to normal retail development patterns.
As retailer tenants and/or a major retail developer are identified, planning will be adapted to their specific parameters. Note that a dedicated area of medical and related businesses is planned on the west side of the Town Center though that may shift as plans proceed. Getting the Town Center started (initial design and construction support) with businesses open during the next two years will be a primary focus of one of Landplan’s teams assigned to Santa Fe.
Initial Concept of Town Center and Surrounding Development