An Asphalt Plant in Garden Ridge, TX? Public Hearing, 5/13/14 @ 6PM
It's TRUE.
The City of Garden Ridge, Planning and Zoning Commission, will have a public hearing on this topic on Tuesday, May 13th at 6PM. The meeting will be held at 9400 Municipal Parkway in Garden Ridge, Texas, right off of FM 3009.
Hanson Aggregates is seeking rezoning of 2 plats of land that they own. One parcel is 34.083 acres and the other is 9.046 acres. They want to change the zoning from Residential Agricultural (RA) to Industrial Zone District (Z-1).
So what's the concern with this rezoning request? What could possibly go wrong with an Asphalt Plant?
If you aren't aware, let me mention a few things.
Safety & Health. Many studies have been done by numerous state and federal agencies concerning the point source and emissions of asphalt production. The bottom line is that the production of this asphalt produces TOXINS. The following toxins will more than likely be breathed in by wildlife, humans and the like by the fumes. The toxins emitted include:
Sulfur dioxide Toluene
Carbon monoxide Benzene
Nitrogen oxides Xylene
Volatile organics Arsenic
PM-10 particular matter Cadmium
Mercury Dioxin
Formaldehyde Hydrogen Sulfide
Naptha Lead
I can only image that an Adult breathing in all of these toxins would lead to headaches, rashes, fatigue, coughing, etc. But, for children (which there is the Garden Ridge Elementary School close by) this could prove to be too much for their little bodies.
Property Decline and & Stigmatization
As a Real Estate Broker with an office in the Garden Ridge area my other concern is the property values declining in and around the area. With something like this coming into an established "backyard" the only probability would be the decline of property values. When certain areas have been "stigmatized" there is always an effect of the cause. The other issue is the stigma will have an impact on Seller's that are trying to sell and let's face it, Buyer's will think twice about buying into this area.
The Garden Ridge area is made of retirees, elementary school children, families, singles where 92% of the area is occupied by Homeowners.
I'm all for growth and expanding our futures, but not when it affects the health of it's residents or their pocketbook.
If you have some sort of interest in Garden Ridge, Texas, live here, work here, have family that lives here? I implore you to come to this hearing and voice your opinion!
(Information gathered from Tracey A. Blackwell, a concerned citizen and Mr. Charles Scott, a concerned citizen and licensed Registered Environmental Manager with the National Registry of Environmental Professionals with over 40 years experience)
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