Val Verde advisory panel recommends denying four battery-storage rezoning requests
Summary
After a public hearing where dozens of residents raised safety and property‑value concerns, the Land Use & Zone Commission voted 4–0 to recommend the commissioners court deny four proposals to rezone parcels for battery storage; the court will consider the items Sept. 9.
The Val Verde County Land Use & Zone Commission voted unanimously to recommend denial of four rezoning requests to change residential parcels to commercial for battery-storage facilities following an extended public hearing on safety, groundwater and property‑value concerns.
County Judge Robert E. opened a public hearing at 9:15 a.m. and listed the four contested sites — 645 Las Brisas, 6770 Las Brisas, the Lake Ridge/Highway 90 parcel (listed in the application as 5982 or 5905 US Highway 90 West) and 229 Holdup Pass — saying the commission must make a recommendation that will go to the commissioners court on Sept. 9. After hearing resident comments and a presentation from the applicant’s representative, the commission took separate motions on items 6–9. Each motion to recommend denial carried 4–0 (motion moved by Commissioner Vasquez and seconded by Commissioner Fagan on multiple items, per the record).
Residents spoke at length against all four proposals during the hearing. ‘‘If one of these things decides to catch on fire, there’s going to be toxic smoke in a residential area,’’ said John Grace of Hold Up Pass, who also warned of heavy‑metal runoff contaminating private wells. Ramer Raquel, a neighboring homeowner, asked the commission to explain what protections would exist for adjacent homeowners, including fire plans, water protections and noise mitigation.
The company representative, Jocelyn Morales Bagosio of NTU Group, said the projects are small — ‘‘1 megawatt each’’ — unmanned, and configured like a typical shipping container. She told the commission the systems have remote monitoring, a PUCT‑approved emergency operations plan and aerosol fire‑suppression systems, and she offered to provide technical documentation to concerned residents.
Commissioners stressed that the Land Use & Zone Commission’s role is advisory; Judge Robert E. said the commissioners court will consider the board’s recommendation on Sept. 9. The advisory panel’s unanimous recommendation to deny will be forwarded with the record of public comments and the developer’s materials.
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