By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
County commissioners court has denied a request to rezone a property from residential to commercial after neighboring landowners protested the change.
The court discussed the measure and took action following a public hearing on the zoning change request during its Feb. 28 meeting, which was held in the second floor courtroom of the historic county courthouse. The court’s regular chambers were being used for early voting.
The zoning change request on the court’s agenda was to change the current zoning of 1256 Lenawee Ave. northwest of the Del Rio city limits from residential to commercial so a battery storage facility could be built on the property.
County Judge Lewis G. Owens Jr. opened the public hearing and invited citizens who wished to address the court about the matter to step up to the podium.
The first person to speak was a representative of the landowner who had requested the zoning change. The man said he was present to speak in favor of the zoning change and to answer any questions from the court about the request.
Next the court heard comments from 11 other property owners from the Lenawee Avenue area, all of whom spoke against the zoning change.
Most said the placement of a battery storage facility there would be inconsistent with the residential character of the neighborhood, would lower property values and would create a possible health hazard.
“Here’s another attempt to turn our community into an industrial park,” property owner John Grace told the court.
Property owner Franklin Hargrove said he believed if the land were to be rezoned, the move would set a precedent for other future zoning change requests. He also believed the change would pose a potential health hazard.
“It doesn’t make sense to put this type of facility in that area,” Hargrove said.
Property owner Lori Reyes, who has actively campaigned against the placement of a route from the site of the city’s proposed international bridge through the same neighborhood, said she was against the zoning change as well, noting it would be sited adjacent to a park where children play.
“It’s a family area. It doesn’t need to be commercial. . . It’s a residential area. Please keep it residential,” Reyes said.
After listening to everyone who wanted to say something to the court about the zoning change, Owens closed the public hearing and went to the agenda item addressing the zoning change request.
Owens noted the Amistad Land Use and Zoning Commission, which oversees property development in the Amistad Land Use area, had considered the zoning change and voted against the change. He said though the zoning commission had denied the request, commissioners court would make the final decision.
After Owens finished speaking, County Commissioner Pct. 3 Beau Nettleton said, “Judge, I want to make a motion to deny the request. I don’t believe this is something that fits into this area.”
County Commissioner Pct. 1 Martin Wardlaw gave the second.
Owens asked the representative of the property owners requesting the zoning change to come back to the podium and address some of the property owners’ concerns.
The representative said the batteries that would be stored in the facility are safer than those that go into cell phones or cars. He said property would be enclosed inside a wooden fence and vegetation would be planted to further enhance the building.
“We genuinely feel that this is something Texas needs,” he told the court, adding the reason his company wants to build there is because there is an electric grid substation close to the property.
“These batteries are a key piece to the mix of clean energy and traditional fossil fuel energy to help keep the grid stable,” he added.
After listening to the representative, court voted unanimously in favor of Nettleton’s motion to deny the zoning change request.
The writer can be reached at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com.
