Commission approves rezoning and specific-use permit for batching plant despite neighborhood opposition

The Amarillo Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously on July 6 to recommend rezoning Lot 2, Block 1, Village Unit 2 to allow a hot-mix asphalt or concrete batching plant with a specific-use permit. Staff presented the site plan and a third-party appraisal concluding the rezoning "will not adversely affect the property values of the adjoining property or other property in the area." Staff also noted that the applicant must obtain required state permits from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and must submit a drainage report approved by the city engineer before a building permit could be issued.

Applicant representative Jesse Arredondo (OJD Engineering) provided historical documentation showing the property was rezoned to I-1 in 1978 and that a prior parcel owner occupied the property. Supporters for the application, including David Reif, emphasized the industrial character of the area and described commitments from the applicant such as an 8-foot solid metal fence along the west property line and limits on operating hours. Multiple nearby property owners opposed the rezoning. Arthur Dyke, who said he lives at 8616 Triangle Drive, told the commission the proposed plant would be "right in my house" and expressed health concerns, asserting prolonged exposure "would probably cause cancer." Speaker Maxima Warren, representing a nearby business, said employees would be exposed. Staff clarified that opposition signatures were reviewed for the 200-foot notification boundary and that Dyke's property alone met the 20% protest threshold that will require a 0.75 majority vote by council if the case goes to City Council. The commission moved to recommend approval as submitted by staff; the motion carried unanimously at the commission level.