Big Cedar-CS 930519The City With A Beautiful Future
P.O. Box 478
Coppell, Texas 75019
214-462-0022
May 19, 1993
Mr. Tim House
Matthews Southwest
5220 Spring Valley//500
Dallas, Texas 75240
RE: Lot 8R and 9R, Block 1 Big Cedar Addition
Dear Mr. House:
I have reviewed and considered your request for development on Lots 8R and 9R, Block I of
the Big Cedar Addition. You have requested permission to allow future home buyers to
encroach into the floodplain easement with some type of improvements. The improvements
could consist of fences, storage buildings, swimming pools, etc. During the course of our
conversation, you noted that the floodplain easement shown on the plat is an arbitrary straight
line between two points and that the actual floodplain, based on elevation, is a more circular line
instead of a straight line. Strictly going by elevations, as much as 10 to 15 feet of both lots
could be reclaimed for development purposes.
I am in agreement wi'th the fact that the floodplain appears to be incorrectly shown on Lots 8R
and 9R. Our Floodplain Ordinance also allows the Floodplain Administrator to "make
interpretations as needed to determine the exact location of the boundaries of floodplain
management areas or special flood hazard areas'. If there were no floodplain easement on these
lots, this would simply be a matter of ascertaining exactly where the floodplain is, based on
elevations, and allowing development to encroach up to that point. However, because an
arbitrary line has been placed on the plat as a floodplain easement, to encroach into that
easement would take a variance by the City Council. However, while allowing encroachments
in the easement may satisfy the initial home buyer it could create tremendous headaches for
subsequent home purchasers. When a title or mortgage company questions why there are
encroachments into designated easements, there would need to be letters written by the City
stating that 'yes, the City was in agreement that the encroachment was acceptable, etc". We
recently went through this on another situation concerning an encroachment into a sewer line
easement. There was a substantial amount of staff time involved in satisfying the mortgage
company that the encroachment was acceptable to the City.
Because of the future tracking of this issue and because of staff time involved in that future
tracking, my recommendation is that Lot 8R and 9R, Block 1 Big Cedar again be replatted to
show the correct floodplain on the lots. The replat would alleviate any questions in the future
about whether or not there were encroachments into the easement.
I hope this has satisfied your question concerning the encroachment into the easement. If you
should have any questions concerning this request please feel free to contact me.
Sincerely,
Ke~eth M. Griffin, P.E.
City Engineer
cc: Gary Sieb, Director of Planning
file/kgriffin/bigcedar