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River City Ready Mix cases split commissioners: commission forwards rezones after executive session and debate
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Summary
The commission forwarded two related easterling-road rezoning requests connected to River City Ready Mix after heated public comment, an executive session for attorney‑client advice, and votes to recommend changes to City Council. Neighbors say cleanup and code violations remain unresolved; the applicant points to a court-ordered remediation and a January 31 deadline.
The commission spent a major portion of its Jan. 20 meeting on two contested cases involving River City Ready Mix, forwarding both to City Council after extended testimony, an executive session, and substantive debate.
Staff presented Item 2 (5650 and 5682 Easterling Drive), proposing C2NA for parcels tied to River City operations, and Item 3 (5000 block of Easterling), proposing C1 for a neighboring parcel as a lower-intensity buffer. The cases are linked to a court-ordered cleanup and a negotiated settlement the commission discussed in executive session for attorney‑client guidance.
Neighbors and community representatives strongly opposed the rezones. Rebecca Flores Perez, who said she has monitored River City for years, told the commission the company had “accumulated more than 200 unresolved violations and citations” and that the community’s trust had “completely eroded.” She urged denial, citing historic dust, illegal dumping, inoperable vehicles, and uncompleted settlement terms.
The applicant’s representative, Greg Brockhouse, described ongoing remediation and relocation plans. Brockhouse said, “the cleanup is actively going on” and noted a district-court timetable directing remediation and that the company expects to relocate operations outside the city. He cautioned commissioners against holding the applicant accountable for a deadline they have not yet missed: “We can't hold him accountable for a deadline that he has not met yet when the deadline is not here yet.”
After an executive session to obtain legal advice, commissioners resumed public proceedings and questioned staff and speakers. Commissioners debated the relative weight to give the applicant’s remediation progress, the court order and settlement, and the neighborhood’s history of complaints. Some commissioners stressed that zoning decisions must focus on land‑use principles and the record before the commission; others urged caution because of the applicant's compliance history.
Commissioner Ken Huey moved to recommend approval of Item 2 as presented; following discussion the motion carried on roll call with at least one dissenting vote. The commission then considered Item 3 and approved a recommendation to rezone the parcel to C1 to serve as a lower-intensity transition between more intensive commercial areas and single‑family neighborhoods.
What it means: Both recommendations now go to City Council, where elected members will weigh the settlement, the proof of remediation, and neighborhood opposition in their final determinations. The applicant’s court-ordered deadline and any subsequent compliance or enforcement actions will remain separate from the zoning record but will inform political and legal review in council.
