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City council to discuss Alvin land deal
By Rhiannon Meyers
The Daily News
Published September 14, 2009
FRIENDSWOOD — Friendswood City Council members will meet tonight to discuss what to do with 60 acres in Alvin the city had planned to buy for parks.
The council will consider an earnest money contract with Wight Realty Interests Ltd. The city signed the contract last year before a judged ruled in July that the city could not buy the land. The council never officially has voted on what to do about the contract, but some council members have said the city won’t buy the land.
Mayor David Smith said council members will discuss potential solutions and try to resolve questions about whether the city can legally purchase land outside of its city limits.
According to the terms of the contract, Friendswood may have to pay $180,000 plus the cost of improvements to the property to cancel the contract. The cost of improvements was estimated at $1.25 million, bringing the total to $1.43 million, half of the land’s $2.6 million price tag.
Some have argued one sentence in the contract could allow the city to back out of the deal without paying the penalties. The agreement between Wight and Friendswood “shall be construed and interpreted in accordance with the laws” of the state, the contract states.
Council members met behind closed doors last week to discuss real estate. Though Smith declined to say what specific land was discussed, he said there are few land deals the council is considering aside from the Wight deal.
The city tried to buy the land in Alvin because officials said it was the cheapest and the best possible site for a new ballpark to alleviate crowding at others. But some residents argued the city was breaking the law and had agreed to pay too much for the land along FM 528.
Five residents who dubbed themselves the Friendswood 5 raised questions about the deal and fought it in court. A Travis County judge ruled in July that the city could not use certificates of obligation to buy park land outside city limits.
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At A Glance
WHAT: Friendswood City Council
WHEN: 7 p.m. today
WHERE: Council chambers, 910 S. Friendswood Drive
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