Denison council rezones 6.2 acres for Encore substation after resident objections

The Denison City Council on March 3 approved rezoning roughly 6.2 acres near Harbor Road and U.S. Highway 84 from a planned development overlay to light industrial to accommodate an electrical distribution substation to be built by Encore.

City planning staff told the council the parcel sits within the Preston Harbor planned development and that an electrical substation is not listed as an allowed use under the existing plan-development standards, prompting the rezoning request. "The need is to address the load growth in this region, specifically this North Denison region," said Seth Sampson, Encore's siting specialist.

The rezoning drew extended public comment from nearby property owners. Stan Johnson, who said his family has held property in the area for about 70 years, urged the council to approve the project: "I encourage you to vote in favor of this." Liberty Johnson, whose address is listed as 152 Harbor Road directly across the street from the proposed site, opposed the location and said she expects a large drop in her property's market value if the substation is built within about 50 feet of her lot. "We stand to lose 44 up to 44.9% of the value of our property based on the location of this," she said, citing appraisal-industry material she provided to council.

Encore representatives described design and mitigation measures for the site. The company said the substation will be enclosed by an 8-foot masonry screen wall and that landscaping will be installed in areas not encumbered by transmission or distribution lines; Sampson warned that vegetation cannot be placed under electrical lines and that height-restricted plantings will be used where allowed. He also clarified the function of the facility: "This is a distribution substation... it doesn't generate additional electricity. It's strictly for distribution," Sampson said, adding the station will improve grid resiliency and give operators more options during outages.

Council and Encore staff exchanged technical clarifications: the station is sited adjacent to an existing transmission line, property selection considers willing sellers at fair market value and nearby substations, and the site was chosen as part of a broader engineering and load-growth analysis. Encore said the station will serve the broader northwest Denison service territory, not only the Preston Harbor development.

Council members asked staff and Encore to address residents' concerns about property values and outage history; Encore offered contact information for area service managers for neighbors reporting recurring outages. The council voted to approve the rezoning; the motion was made by Mayor Pro Tem Tim Adams and seconded by Councilman Thomas.

The approval includes the requirement that the substation meet Chapter 28 development standards, including masonry screening and landscaping where allowed. The council record shows no separate mitigation or buyout for affected private properties was adopted during the meeting.