Daniel council approves annexation of Geneva Rock parcel amid resident dust and noise concerns

The Daniel Town Council on Dec. 2, 2024 approved the annexation of part of parcel 09-6276, advancing a Geneva Rock project into the town’s jurisdiction and amending the town zoning map.

The vote adopted municipal ordinance BO2024-12-0404 (read into the record by the mayor), which approves the Geneva Rock annexation for the parcel listed at 600 West / 2363 South and makes the zoning map reflect the annexation. The ordinance was recorded as effective after publication and posting, and no later than Dec. 31, 2024. In the roll call recorded in the meeting, Walton voted No while Kohler, Bennett and Pearson voted Yes; the motion was declared adopted.

The annexation was the subject of a public hearing at which Geneva Rock’s representative, Bill King, said the item before the council was for roughly 7.95 acres that would allow a partially overlapping project to be fully inside the town. King said Geneva Rock would work with the town on mitigation: “I represent Geneva Rock this evening. I’m here to help answer any questions or any concerns that are maybe regarding annexation.”

Nearby residents urged stronger protections. A resident who identified herself on the record as Brady Karen said neighbors worry about expanding industrial activity, asking, “Are we gonna turn the whole Daniel into cement plants?” Others described early-morning beeping, dust clouds and sleep disruption; one attendee said she has autoimmune issues and that noise and dust affected her sleep.

Pam Skinner, who identified herself as a member of the town’s planning commission, told the council that while residents understandably do not want industrial operations adjacent to homes, the parcel is already zoned industrial and annexation would give the town more ability to impose conditions: “None of us want this kind of stuff in their backyard. … But it’s already zoned industrial. We’re not changing that.”

The planning commission formally recommended approval of the annexation in a letter dated Nov. 30, 2024, after a public hearing on Nov. 20, 2024, in which the present commissioners voted unanimously to recommend annexation (two commissioners were absent from that vote; chair did not vote). The council’s discussion cited the town general plan and the commission recommendation as guidance for the decision.

Geneva Rock and staff said the company will follow state dust and opacity standards, use water trucks as needed, and work with the town on landscape-buffer specifications and timing restrictions for noisy operations. King said the company will coordinate landscaping size and placement with town staff.

Council members also set follow-up hearings related to the parcel. The council scheduled a public hearing for the small-subdivision application and a public hearing for the conditional-use permit for Geneva Rock for Jan. 6, 2025; planning-commission hearings on those items were noted as scheduled in mid-December. The council also set Jan. 6 hearings for two Drew Riley zone-change applications and for a Houston zone-change application.

Next steps: the planning commission will continue review of related permits; the council will consider the small-subdivision and conditional-use items at the Jan. 6 meeting after the planning commission’s input. The ordinance is effective after publication and posting and no later than Dec. 31, 2024.