KYLE, Texas (KXAN) — Deborah Nazemi has lived in a quiet wooded part of Kyle for 13 years. It’s a slice of countryside where she raises sheep and finds her peace among the trees.
“It’s the peace, it’s the quiet. It’s the trees,” she said. “They’ve been here since way before I moved here. That was the selling point of the property.”
But recently, she said the city of Kyle contacted her with, in her words, “devastating” news – the city would need access to a portion of her property to execute work on a wastewater pipeline.
“In order to do that, they want to cut down all those beautiful trees [in the back] — that’s my sanctuary,” Nazemi said.
Kyle consistently ranks as one of the fastest-growing cities in the country. To keep pace, city leaders are investing a great deal in wastewater infrastructure.
Over the next five years, the city plans to spend $700 million on wastewater projects. Over $200 million of that will go towards expanding its wastewater treatment plant.
“Kyle is one of the fastest-growing cities in Texas, and with that growth comes the need to expand and improve essential infrastructure like roads and water and wastewater systems,” the city said in a statement.
“Sometimes, this expansion requires acquiring additional right-of-way (ROW) for road widening or utility easements. When that happens, the City follows all legal procedures for ROW acquisition and works closely with property owners to reach an agreement,” it continued.
Nazemi told KXAN that the city of Kyle initially offered her around $10,000 for the project. She has since hired an eminent domain attorney to negotiate.
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