City Side Steps Traffic Study and Surface Water Concerns for Alt Property Rezoning Issue

By Pauline Masson –

A rezoning request to allow an industrial park to be established on a 48-acre parcel located off Industrial Drive got a bit personal Tuesday evening as opponents and proponents of the proposed development challenged each other’s motives.

A measure to rezone the property for a proposed ten-lot industrial park has been tabled on the Board meeting agenda for the past three meetings, as Candlewick Lane residents asked the City to ban tractor trailer traffic from their residential street and require more specific plans to deal with surface water before rezoning the property.

The issue was at the top of the agenda for the Sept. 6 board meeting, where stake holders of the proposed industrial park defended their own motives and challenged the motives of their adversaries.

Daniel Conway, rezoning applicant and industrial park developer said he felt his integrity “keeps being questioned” as he addressed the issues in previous meetings as opponents suggested that he would skirt the issue once development begins and not do what is required.

He said he had offered solutions on both water runoff and traffic that he believed were sufficient that the parties could move forward and coexist. He would like to see the issue resolved at the Sept. 20 meeting.

Barb Alt, one of four owners of the proposed industrial park property, took offense at the objection to rezoning of the property. She said she had tried for twelve years to develop the property and the City had made her, ”spend a bunch” to buy a strip and put in a road easement to create an entry into the property.

Alt said opponents of the development were putting out misinformation about the issue, failed to understand the process of redevelopment, had trust issues generated by the unpopular Manors at Brush Creek subdivision and had a lack of integrity for failure to disclose their own motives. She said the residents would like to see the development fail so they can keep their area rural.

Alt stressed that in her view the primary issue was one of trust and respect. She believed that residents could trust both the developer and the City to “do the right thing,” as individual lots are developed.

Resident Gary Meadows said it was clear to him from comments by Conway and Alt that the developer and property owners could be trusted on the issue but the neighboring property owners could not be trusted because they don’t understand things, they’re not trustworthy or they lack integrity about their own motives.

“I’m opposed to the rezoning because they have not done their homework on the major concern which is the water issue,” Meadows said. He said 80 percent of the property will be hardscaped which will produce 38 million gallons of water that has to find somewhere to go.

He said officials could clear up concerns about surface water by requiring the developer to conduct a surface water study for the project.

Meadows also said it is possible for construction to be completed on some lots by the developer working with City staff for plan approval and never coming back before the board of aldermen.

Aldermen offered no comments on the surface water issue or the plan approval process. Two questioned the scope of a traffic study that could tackle truck traffic. James Cleeve and Scott Lesh, who both ran for office after citizen disenchantment over the Manors at Brush Creek subdivision on LaMar Parkway wanted reassurance that any traffic study would include all traffic and not be limited to truck traffic.

Alderman Andy Nemeth opposed any traffic study at this time. Nemeth, acting president of the board who chaired the meeting, argued that no City money should be spent for a traffic study until an official truck route is established. That cannot happen, Nemeth, said until the Denton Road bridge is rebuilt – possibly a year from now in September 2023.

In the end the aldermen backed away from a proposed traffic study and the issue was removed from future agendas. They also ignored Meadow’s call for a surface water study prior to rezoning and a suggestion by Conway that the City could end truck traffic on Candlewick Lane by closing the road.

So, for now, Candlewick Lane residents won’t get any reassurances that their truck traffic woes and water concerns will be solved. They will have to wait for the construction of the Denton Road bridge and for the City to establish a truck route before the city will take a serious look at truck traffic in general.

Officials said once the truck route is open, in perhaps September 2023, they will order a traffic study that counts all traffic – trucks and cars – throughout the city. The goal of the study would be to devise a series of signs that would prohibit truck traffic on certain streets, which would enable police to issue citations to offenders.

No traffic tickets have been issued to big rigs driving through residential neighborhoods, regardless of signs that prohibit trucks licensed for over 18,000 lbs, in over a year, according to the municipal court clerk.

Officials believe that once enforcement begins, stories of tickets and fines will spread among truckers and once they know they are faced with fines they will stick to the truck route.

The rezoning issue remains on the Board meeting agenda for the Sept. 20 meeting.