TCEQ schedules May hearing on Restore the Grasslands application; city, residents encouraged to file written replies

City legal counsel and staff informed the Parker City Council and meeting attendees that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) issued notice of a May commission meeting to consider a request for a contested hearing on an application by Restore the Grasslands (the Huffines / NTJ property).

Staff said the TCEQ commissioners scheduled a May meeting at 9:30 a.m. in Austin to consider whether to grant a contested hearing. The commission will consider written input from the public and parties; the staff presenter said the commission will not take public oral comments at the hearing but will accept written material for consideration. The applicant — identified in the meeting as the Huffines through Harrington Turner — submitted a response to TCEQ by April 28, and cities and individual protestants who requested a contested hearing have the opportunity to file written replies to that response.

Staff urged anyone who signed up previously to request a contested hearing to review the applicant’s response and submit their own written reply by the commission’s deadline. Staff said the applicant’s response seeks dismissal of many contested-hearing requests and groups them into categories with different objections, including a claim that many protestants are not affected parties. Staff said even residents who live immediately adjacent to the property were listed by the applicant as not affected, and the city’s counsel will file a reply on behalf of the city.

Ending: Staff said the city’s attorney will prepare and file a reply and urged affected residents and intervenors to file written responses for TCEQ’s consideration ahead of the May 9:30 a.m. commission meeting in Austin.