20 - Year Growth Plan - City of Kendleton

creating a destination for surrounding communities to visit Kendleton and an opportunityenhance the local economy.Until very recently, there were more than a few dilapidated structures, especially nearUS 59 and Loop 541, which contributed to an overall unkempt feel. These structureswere highly visible and contributed to a perception that the city was in a state ofdecline. In partnership with Fort Bend County and nearby religious organizations, as wellas efforts such as “Keep Kendleton Beautiful”, many of these structures have beenremoved or renovated. The result is that travelers on the major arteries no longer seeundesirable properties and several homes are now able to be occupied. Thus, in general,the condition of the majority of streets and homes are good and indicative of the hardwork the community has invested.Unfortunately there are two very prominent locations which continue to exhibit the kindof deterioration that the City does not want to be known for. The northwest corner ofUS 59 frontage road and FM 2919 was the location of a gas station and restaurant whichclosed for business and burned over a decade ago. Today, only the pump islandcanopies still exist and are in a dilapidated state. The site itself is being remediated forground water contamination issues even though the underground fuel storage tankshave long since been removed. First sampled in 1996 and again in 2000, workcommenced in 2005 to begin removal of gasoline which is floating on top of thegroundwater. Remediation visits occur on a quarterly basis and no timetable forcomplete remediation is known. Redevelopment of the site will likely not occur until thesite receives a closure letter from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.Figure 3-14: Former gas stationand Hilltop Restaurant site at thecorner of US 59 and FM 2919.The other location in need of attention is the City’s King-Kennedy Memorial Park site.Dedicated in 1989, the park’s entry feature is seriously deteriorating and the roads arein very poor condition within the park. The constructed lake is often completely dry,leaving very few park features with any value to the community. The City has plans forthe park’s rehabilitation as discussed in Section 9.20-Year Growth Plan 19