Socorro planning panel approves 99-acre Hermanos Industrial subdivision after executive session
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Summary
The Planning and Zoning Commission approved preliminary and final plats to divide 99.23 acres into three lots for the Hermanos Industrial Subdivision after a contentious public discussion, an attempted motion to deny and an executive session. One commissioner abstained on the final vote.
The Socorro City Planning and Zoning Commission voted to approve the preliminary and final plat for the Hermanos Industrial Subdivision, a 99.23-acre site proposed to be divided into three lots for industrial/warehouse uses.
The commission’s approval followed a lengthy discussion that included a motion to deny, a recess into executive session and a subsequent motion to approve. Staff and the applicant presented the plat and traffic analysis; opponents on the commission argued the industrial use was out of character for parts of the city.
Staff member Jose Botello presented the item and summarized the application: “The property owner for this development is Hermanos Farms Ltd. The representative is Greenlaw Partners. Lot size for this property is 99.23 acres. The property is currently zoned ICMUD and the current land use is agricultural. Staff recommends approval of the preliminary and final plat for Hermanos Industrial Subdivision.”
Jorge Escarte, representing the project team, told commissioners the traffic impact analysis was submitted and that the project has identified end users for the proposed warehouse lots. “This project's already moving forward with already end users for each of those individual for the warehousing,” Escarte said, adding the rezoning that allowed industrial uses had been approved previously.
A commissioner moved to deny the plat during discussion, citing concerns that warehousing would be “out of sync” with other uses and would not create the number of jobs some residents expect from manufacturing. The motion to deny was later retracted to allow the commission to go into executive session for legal consultation.
City legal counsel read the relevant state statute for municipal plat approvals (Texas Local Government Code §212.0091) and advised that any conditional approval or disapproval must provide written reasons tied to statutory or ordinance requirements. After the executive session, Commissioner Enrique Cisneros moved to approve the plat, seconded by Commissioner Andrew Arroyo. The motion passed with the majority voting yes and one abstention.
The commission record shows the development schedule included in the submittal anticipates completion in August 2027 and that the applicant provided a traffic impact analysis showing AM and PM peak hour counts. Staff also noted a landscape buffer requirement along North Loop mandated by the City Council during rezoning.
Commissioners asked whether the proposed lot and building layouts were final; the applicant’s representative said building configurations on the lots were part of a master plan approved by the city council two weeks earlier. Staff confirmed the plat meets the city’s subdivision regulations and the requirements of the state code, noting that a written statement of reasons is required if the commission disapproves.
The commission’s action was procedural approval of the plat with the standard condition that engineering review comments be addressed as part of the final submittal.
