Council approves I-3 heavy-industrial zoning for port-adjacent tracts; regional economic groups back move

The La Marque City Council approved a rezoning ordinance that reclassifies a large, Port of Texas City-owned tract and adjacent parcels as I-3 (heavy industrial). The change followed a public hearing, a town hall meeting between the railroad and residents, and testimony from regional economic-development organizations.

Why it matters: The site is nearly 400 acres of contiguous property with rail and water access. City and regional leaders said rezoning to I-3 will allow logistics and distribution centers that rely on rail-to-water and rail-to-road transfers, increase taxable value, create jobs and reduce truck congestion on regional corridors.

Public input and safeguards Representatives of the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership (BayHEP) and Bay Area Houston Transportation Partnership (Baytran) testified in favor, describing the property's unique advantages (contiguous acreage, rail connections, waterway access) and urging responsible, long-term industrial development. Both organizations said modern distribution facilities are different from older industrial sites and can provide substantial tax base and jobs.

Council members stressed that the I-3 ordinance includes use restrictions intended to prevent particularly polluting operations (for example, smokestack-driven heavy manufacturing) and requires site-specific permitting and permitting-level reviews, drainage and construction permitting, and applicable state and federal environmental compliance. The city's development staff and legal team advised that the I-3 code explicitly limits certain uses and that future permits would still be subject to city review and the normal building-permit processes.

Outcome and next steps Council approved the second and final reading of the ordinance. Staff said private developers would still need to submit plats, site plans and building permits; the zoning change does not waive standard permitting or environmental reviews. Council and staff said they will continue outreach to residents in adjacent neighborhoods and to the railroad and port to address specific design, buffer and traffic-control measures.

Ending Supporters said the rezoning is a multi-year step toward expanding the local tax base and creating jobs; opponents raised concerns earlier in the public hearings about compatibility with adjacent residential areas and environmental impacts. Council noted a 250-foot buffer provision and said the ordinance language was written to limit the most disruptive potential uses.