Council approves Encore substation on Poly America property after public questions about visibility and service

The Grand Prairie City Council on Feb. 11 approved a site plan for a new Encore electric substation to be built on property owned by Poly America, voting in favor of staff recommendations and granting variances for landscaping and pavement materials.

The site is roughly 10 acres within a light-industrial area north of Fourteenth Street. Staff told the council the plan proposes no occupiable buildings, will include masonry screening on the side facing single-family property and will use gravel surfacing where required for equipment access. Savannah (staff planner) said the Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval 8–0 on Jan. 13, and the Development Review Committee had also recommended approval.

Why it matters: Council and nearby residents questioned whether the substation will increase local electric service, how visible equipment will be from Tyree Park and whether plantings around the site can adequately screen tall substation structures. Those concerns drove a discussion of landscaping exceptions and whether evergreen screening should be required in addition to a masonry wall.

Residents and engineers spoke at the meeting. Patsy Ray, who lives near the proposed site, asked about precise location and what the substation will mean for nearby neighborhoods. She said she wanted to be able to “explain to the residents what is going to happen.” Travis Shanker, the project's engineer of record, identified himself and said he was present to answer engineering questions.

Staff described the site as part of the larger Poly America parcel and said the substation will not require new overhead transmission lines; the substation equipment may reach up to about 50 feet in height. Savannah and other staff noted that landscaping requirements are intended to screen from streets and public rights-of-way; because the substation is not adjacent to a public street and sits across a creek from Tyree Park, sight lines and the creek-side vegetation affect how much visible screening can be achieved.

Council members debated requiring additional evergreen planting along the masonry wall and whether the city should deny the variance for landscaping. Staff and the applicant explained some vegetation can interfere with substation operations and overhead lines, and that trees close to equipment can create maintenance or reliability hazards.

After discussion and with the staff-recommended conditions — including masonry screening in the portion of the site facing the creek and allowing gravel base material for equipment areas — the council approved the site plan. The motion to approve was made by the Mayor Pro Tem and the measure passed with seven affirmative votes.

The council action authorizes the applicant to proceed with the substation site plan under the conditions set by staff and the council. Staff said they will finalize details of required screening and any requested deviations as part of final permitting and construction documents.