Planning and Zoning Commission weighs in on change

The Sulphur Springs Planning and Zoning Commission Monday, March 20, considered a request for a Main Street zone change.

The request, identified as ZC # 230101, was made by the Sulphur Springs-Hopkins County Economic Development Corporation. The 12 acres is a two-lot property in Assurance Business Park which the EDC would like to see changed from light commercial to heavy industrial. This would give the entire 68.83 acres in Assurance Business Park a heavy industrial zoning.

The EDC acquired the property in 2005. At the time, part of the property was in the county and the 12 acres in this request was already in the City. When the property was annexed into the City in 2006, the city initiated a zone change to the property to Heavy Industrial based on the Future Land Use Plan showing the area to be used for Industrial Development. Staff is of the opinion that the remaining 12 acres that was in the city limits was inadvertently omitted from the rezone request at that time as it was intended to become a part of the Industrial Park that is now the Assurance Business Park, Sulphur Springs Assistant City Manager/Community Development Director Tory Niewiadomski explained.

The properties adjacent to two lots the EDC requested rezoning are of mixed zoning. The property to the north is zoned single family zoning (SF-6) and either vacant or identified for single family land use or along the railroad track. Property to the east is zoned light commercial for professionalisms office use and designated for future commercial and/or residential use. Properties to the south are vacant but a mix of light industrial and single family, with plans for future commercial and/ or residential use of those properties identified. To the west, property is zoned heavy industrial; it is vacant and designated for future industrial use.

Niewiadomski further noted that the City of Sulphur Springs Land Use Plan emphasizes the need to plan areas for industrial development to attract businesses and to use the EDC to develop additional industrial parks and sites where new industries can be adequately located. Where possible, the industrial park type development should be extended and expanded. In this instance, this property is part of the Assurance Business Park, an EDC industrial park, according to the community development director/ assistant city manager.

City staff sent 11 certified letters to property owners with 200 feet of the area the EDC has asked be rezoned. The City did not receive any responses either for, against or undecided on the matter.

Katie Martin, a resident of the area, spoke after the meeting.

“We live across the street,” Martin said after the meeting. “We’re concerned about the working hours and the noise.”

Martin said, “If it is industry, then what kind of pollution will come with it? They’re many houses on the other side of the railroad. They were not contacted to come to this meeting. We were contacted because we live within 200 feet.”

“I would have liked for the commission to make it light industry,” Martin said.

A light industrial zoning could include retail and restaurants, banks and business offices, gas stations and tire shops, welding and machine shops, mattress and upholstery repair businesses, lumber yards and mortuaries Heavy industrial use could include anything zoned from light commercial to heavy commercial or light industrial businesses. That could include factories, junk yards, petroleum tank farms, feed mills, a railway depot or freight depot yards.

After discussion and a public comment, the Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously to recommend the Sulphur Springs City Council approve the request to change the zoning of the two lots from light commercial to heavy industrial. The recommendation will be passed forward for the Sulphur Springs City Council to consider during the next meeting.