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Planning commission approves AEP Texas conditional use permit for Eagle Pass service center
Summary
The commission voted to approve AEP Texas’s conditional use permit to build a new service center and relocate a fuel island with an above-ground tank at US Highway 57; staff recommended approval after the fire marshal signaled compliance and AEP said the above-ground design improves leak detection and will be screened from the road.
The Eagle Pass Planning and Zoning Commission voted to approve a conditional use permit requested by AEP Texas to establish a new service center and an above-ground fuel island at properties along U.S. Highway 57.
Staff presented the application and said the site lies in a B-3 district where the ordinance presumes underground tanks; because AEP proposes an above-ground tank, a conditional use permit was required. Staff told commissioners the fire marshal had reviewed and approved the fuel-tank location and recommended approval of the request.
Guadalupe Negrete, introduced in the meeting as the city’s interim community development director and full-time building official, explained the zoning trigger and said staff reviews aesthetics and safety when considering above-ground installations. Commissioners asked whether the company could place tanks below grade and whether the above-ground design fits the city’s longer-term beautification goals for the corridor.
Jimmy Ernest, representing AEP Texas, told the commission the project is a full service center for AEP operations, not “just a fuel tank,” and described it as a standard, state-of-the-art facility the utility uses across its service territory. Ernest said the above-ground tank is located behind a cedar fence and that AEP prefers above-ground tanks for environmental safety because leaks are easier to detect and contain than underground tanks. “It will not be an eyesore,” Ernest said, adding the company is coordinating with telecom providers to underground nearby communication lines to improve the corridor’s appearance.
After discussion and questions, the commission moved and voted to approve the conditional use permit. Staff and AEP representatives said they would continue coordination on site appearance and utility coordination as the project proceeds.
