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Committee approves Alexandria annexation bill to clear way for business park; bill limited to city
Summary
Senate Bill 491 cleared the Senate Local Government Committee after sponsors narrowed its scope to allow a voluntary annexation of roughly 435–460 acres for an industrial business park in Alexandria. City attorney and senators said utilities are in place and landowner consent and zoning steps remain.
The Senate Local Government Committee advanced Senate Bill 491 on an unspecified date, approving an amendment that narrows the bill to apply only to the city of Alexandria and to permit a super‑voluntary annexation for a business park development.
Sponsor Senator Gaskell told the committee the bill "could be a big opportunity for the city of Alexandria who has lost a lot of manufacturing jobs over the last several decades," and said the change would allow the city to annex a focused parcel for a business park without requiring residential areas nearby to be included.
Joel Lee, an attorney representing the City of Alexandria, testified the parcel is approximately 460 acres and runs along a rail spur, and said city utilities have already been extended to the site. "We're talking about approximately 4 60 acres to the north of the city of Alexandria," Lee said, and he added the annexation proposal is voluntary and only applies where landowners consent.
Lawmakers pressed for safeguards against a return to broad, noncontiguous annexations. Senator Yoder and others warned the proposal risked resembling past special‑purpose carve‑outs. Gaskell and staff described the amendment as a narrowly tailored, voluntary approach intended to prevent the city from absorbing large swaths of farmland it does not intend to develop.
Senator Taylor, who spoke in favor, characterized the measure as an economic development tool: "It's an economic development project that the city wants to do, and I I'm in favor of it 110%." Lee told senators the zoning question remains: the county lacks utilities and the parcel will need city services to be usable, and developers generally want certainty on annexation before committing investment.
The bill as amended includes these practical points: the annexation applies only where the landowner consents; utilities are available to the area now; the land is intended to be zoned industrial for a business park; and a statutory safeguard in current law would revert the annexation if the business park does not materialize within five years.
The committee approved the amendment and passed the bill by recorded vote, 9–0. Sponsors said local officials and the landowner support the plan; Joel Lee answered committee questions about acreage, utilities, and zoning.
The bill heads to the Senate floor with committee members saying the measure aims to balance local economic development against a longstanding committee concern about noncontiguous annexations.
