San Antonio landowners and residents who live near the truck plant on the South Side say they were caught off-guard by a proposed rezoning.
Zenon Solis, with the City’s Planning Department, left, helps Aleida Montellano and her family understand that since their home is in Bexar County, they will not be affected by the proposed industrial zoning overlay within two miles of a Toyota plant.The San Antonio Zoning Commission on Tuesday delayed voting on a request to add an industrial overlay zone to almost 20,000 acres of land surrounding the Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas plant.
The ICOD is intended “to limit potential health, safety, and welfare conflicts between heavy industrial uses and surrounding commercial and residential uses,” according to documents submitted for the zoning change.Success! You're on the list. After community pushback, commissioners voted for a 60-day continuance, agreeing to hear the case again at a July 16 meeting.With dozens of Southside residents opposed to the rezoning filing into the Development Services building Tuesday afternoon and one zoning commissioner speaking openly against the proposed ordinance, conflicts over the issue boiled over before the hearing even began.
During the work session, Deputy City Attorney Susan Guinn told Whitsett he should consider recusing himself from discussing the item if he could not be impartial and unbiased in considering the request. A former member of the zoning commission who lives near Toyota said the process should be slowed down to allow more time to talk with landowners. As a land surveyor for 30 years, Patty Gibbons said she has “worked on 4,000 dreams — people who have land, people who have ambitions and ideas and innovations and creativity,” she said. “Everybody has it when you own land, not just Toyota.”
Fermin Rajunov sits next to his attorney David Prichard at a Zoning Commission meeting Tuesday.Prichard also said the process has been rushed and asked for a delay. “Toyota is a good corporate citizen,” he said. “ so are all these people out here and so are all the other 13,000 people that are affected by what you’re going to do today.”
Several people who attended Tuesday’s meeting said they didn’t understand what the notice meant and whether the rezoning would increase their property taxes. Throughout the hearing, planning managers left the room with residents to offer details or explain the process one-on-one outside of the hearing.
“If I want to build another house, I’m going to build another house, I’m going to build another barn to put my equipment in,” said Debbie Rodriguez. “I wouldn’t be able to do that.” The zoning regulations do not apply to people who live in Bexar County but outside the city limits, Niño said.
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