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Temple planning commission recommends rezoning 900+ acres for North Industrial Park expansion
Summary
The Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously Nov. 17 to recommend rezoning roughly 900 acres from agricultural to light industrial as part of an annexation and North Industrial Park expansion; residents raised questions about infrastructure costs, odors from a nearby facility and impacts on farmland.
The Temple Planning and Zoning Commission on Nov. 17 unanimously recommended that City Council approve a rezoning of more than 900 acres from agriculture to straight light industrial to support the North Industrial Park expansion. The commission voted to forward the recommendation after a staff presentation and a public hearing.
Senior Planner Christina Strickland told commissioners the site is part of a pending annexation and that the annexation will go to City Council for first reading on Nov. 20, with the zoning case scheduled for its first council hearing Dec. 4 and final reading Dec. 18. Strickland said existing future land‑use designations and surrounding zoning support industrial uses and that water and sewer infrastructure are available or can be made available during later platting and planning stages.
The hearing drew several residents who said their properties and farms could be affected. Ken Lutz, a Temple resident, asked who would pay for infrastructure and whether annexation would raise resident utility rates; a commissioner who served on the Economic Development Corporation (EDC) explained that rezoning is an early step and that EDC‑developer negotiations typically determine who pays for extensions, with more detailed plans and cost allocations addressed during plat and utility agreement stages. Staff also said mailed notices were sent to owners within the 200‑foot notification boundary and that four mailed notices and 30 courtesy ETJ notices were sent as required by law.
Neighbors also complained about odors from a nearby Niagara bottling facility. A resident at 7933 Old Howard Road reported persistent sewer/sulfur smells and asked staff to investigate; staff said Transform Temple/code enforcement would follow up and that the resident’s parcel was not part of the annexation under consideration. Another resident, Larry Boyles, said light industrial development threatened long‑established farms and homes and urged commissioners to reconsider the proposal.
BJ Little of Turley Associates, representing the EDC, told the commission the EDC currently owns some northern parcels and that the plat submitted to staff covered only a portion of the larger acreage. Strickland and EDC representatives said the platting, subdivision and utility plans would come later and would include detailed engineering and cost responsibilities when developers submit subdivision plats and utility agreements.
Commissioner Carney moved to recommend approval and Commissioner Walker seconded. The commission recorded unanimous ayes and the recommendation will go to City Council for consideration on its scheduled readings.
