City to Purchase Land Near Knickerbocker Road for Flood Control

SAN ANGELO, TX — The City Council has authorized the purchase of the final two pieces of property needed to build a detention pond to lessen flooding along Avenue P.

The Council on Tuesday unanimously authorized City Manager Daniel Valenzuela to negotiate and execute the purchase of 0.432 acres at 700 Knickerbocker Road for no more than $90,000 and about 40,000 square feet of a property at 650 Old Knickerbocker Road, both locations are near ASCO Equipment Rental, for no more than $300,000.

The Council two weeks ago authorized the purchase of 1805 and 1806 Harbor Court – two parcels critical to the flood-control effort. The price of that purchase will not exceed $600,000. All of the purchases will be made with funds earmarked for flood control along Avenue P.

The purchases should be finalized next month, after which the project’s design will begin. City officials plan on hosting a forum in January to update the neighborhood and provide a timeline for the project.

“We will have enough property to have an impact on Avenue P,” Assistant City Engineer Lance Overstreet said. “The more property we have, the more we can mitigate the flooding. There are still some properties that are potentially available to us.”

City engineers plan to build a detention pond on the vacant lots that could hold the stormwater produced by a 25-year rainstorm – a storm capable of producing 5.25 inches of rain over a 24-hour span. The pond, which should be completed in about a year, will prevent stormwaters from rushing down Avenue P and flooding homes along the street.

After the pond is built, City engineers will look to reshape Avenue P to keep floodwaters in the middle of the roadway rather than draining outward toward homes.

For more information about the City of San Angelo's plan to reduce flooding in the Avenue P area, read this.