Villages of Woodland Springs Homeowners Association

Our HOA?

Some History

Posted on Thu, Jul. 04, 2002

Runoff causes mess

By ANDREA JARES

Star-Telegram Staff Writer


When it rains in north Tarrant County, it doesn't just pour into Samantha and Anthony Garbarino's ranch-style home. It floods.

Inches of rainwater seeped into their house and ruined hardwood floors and carpeting since construction on a new subdivision began uphill from their homes. The Garbarinos now live on the bare concrete foundation.

Their family's front yard is barricaded with sodden hay bales to deflect the rising floodwaters when it rains.

And it's come - five times into their house since May 2001, about the time land was cleared for a subdivision at the top of a hill less than 2 blocks away, in Fort Worth, the Garbarinos said.

"If our neighbors hadn't put the hay bales up, we'd have water even higher," said Anthony, an airplane mechanic who works at Alliance Airport.

They blame the developers, engineering firms and others building the Villages of Woodland Springs, a 1,400-acre residential subdivision.

Fort Worth's site plan approval process might have played a role as well, if city officials didn't consider the effect that the water draining from the hilly property would have outside of city limits.

The water once flowed evenly down the tree-covered terrain, but now much of the runoff from the subdivision is pooled into a retention tank before its release from a culvert.

The culvert flow is so much, they say, that it can't be contained by the open ditches that quickly fill up with orange sediment.

After a few minutes of rain, water is lapping around the house, seeping silt inside as if the house were sinking in a lake.

The Garbarinos and three other neighbors, Michael and Kathleen Steiner and David Bade, have filed a lawsuit in district court. They blame J.B.M. Development Corp., Mehrdad Moayedi and Art Keller Property Corp., which are all involved in development of the Villages of Woodland Springs. They are also suing Carter & Burgess, civil engineers that designed the drainage plans.

"I'm not against development," said Samantha Garbarino, an architect. "I'm against irresponsibility."

The development is in Fort Worth, while the Garbarinos and their neighbors are in the county, a distance of about 2 blocks. That might be part of the problem, said Ross Calhoun, vice president of Centurion American, the parent company of Woodland Springs development.

Calhoun said his company has installed storm drains in the curb-and-gutter development, which channels rainwater runoff.

The Gabarinos' neighborhood does not have a drainage system that will handle the volume of runoff that his development does, Calhoun said.

"When you're out in the county, the amount of drainage you have is zero," Calhoun said.

Calhoun said that his company is working to find a solution for the flooding problem, even if it involves land not owned by the development.

The city and county engineers have had meetings to find a solution to the excess runoff.

The Garbarinos and their neighbors' next request to the court will be for an injunction to stop further development at the Villages of Woodland Springs until the court date, which hasn't been set. Calhoun declined to comment on a proposed injunction.

Carter & Burgess officials are declining to comment as they review the case, said Chris Chilton, company spokesman.

Renee Lamb, engineer for the unincorporated parts of the county, said the county does not see plans for developments that are in Fort Worth, even if they could affect county residents. In most cases, the system works fine.

"Thankfully, it doesn't always present a problem," Lamb said.

"Unfortunately, here I don't know what happened to make this go wrong."

Fort Worth plans to annex the affected area.

The plaintiffs are suing for repairs to their house and a fix for the development.

Those working on a solution say options might include widening drainage channels, reinforcing them with concrete or running the water to a nearby waterway.

But Calhoun said his company's project has already been well studied.

"I think the major point is that studies have been done before we did a thing," Calhoun said. "We didn't do anything to exacerbate this situation. It's just that we're there."

Andrea Jares, (817) 685-3851 ajares@star-telegram.com

J.B.M Development Corp Information

Company Information: J B M DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
3901 AIRPORT FWY STE 200
BEDFORD, TX 76021-6117

Status: NOT IN GOOD STANDING
Registered Agent: MEHRDAD MOAYEDI
1905 INDUSTRIAL BLVD
COLLEYVILLE, TX 76034
Registered Agent Resignation Date:
State of Incorporation: TX
File Number: 0126849400
Charter/COA Date: April 30, 1993
Charter/COA Type: Charter
Taxpayer Number: 17524790890



Per Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
Austin, TX 78774-0100

June 9, 2006

CERTIFICATE OF ACCOUNT STATUS

This is in response to your inquiry about the status of

J B M DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

This corporation is not in good standing as it has not satisfied all state tax requirements.

If you need any additional information or assistance, please contact the Texas State Comptroller's field office in your area or call 1-800-252-1381, toll free, nationwide. The Austin number is 512-463-4600. If you are calling from a Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD), the toll-free number is 1-800-248-4099, or in Austin, 512/463-4621.

Taxpayer number: 17524790890
File number: 0126849400


OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS

PRESIDENT MEHRDAD MOAYEDI
3901 AIRPORT FREEWAY
BEDFORD , TX 76021

Art Keller Property Corporatio

Company Information: ART KELLER PROPERTY CORPORATION
350 N SAINT PAUL ST
DALLAS, TX 75201-4201

Status: TEMPORARY GOOD STANDING through July 14, 2006
Registered Agent: C T CORPORATION SYSTEM
350 NORTH ST. PAUL ST.
DALLAS, TX 75201
Registered Agent Resignation Date:
State of Incorporation: NV
File Number: 0012693506
Charter/COA Date: May 27, 1999
Charter/COA Type: COA
Taxpayer Number: 17529299699


CERTIFICATE OF ACCOUNT STATUS

ART KELLER PROPERTY CORPORATION
had a recent filing deadline and as of this date, June 9, 2006, the corporation's account status has not yet been updated.


OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS

VICE PRESI DAN S ALLRED
ATTN TA 1800 VALLEY VIEW LANE SUITE 300
DALLAS , TX 75234

VICE PRESI LOUIS J CORNA
ATTN TA 1800 VALLEY VIEW LANE SUITE 300
DALLAS , TX 75234