Update 4/10/17 – The Temple City Council has rejected a revised self-storage plan submitted by Jones, preserving a wildflower field on S. 31st Street. After the planning and zoning commission denied the original plan to be build the facility on 7.35 acres, the developer reduced the scale of the project to 3.57 acres to alleviate drainage concerns, according to the source. Several residents continued to oppose the project, and the council voted 4-1 to deny it.

April 10, 2017

3 Min Read
Council Rejects Self-Storage Project, Saving Popular Wildflower Field in Temple, TX

Update 4/10/17 – The Temple City Council has rejected a revised self-storage plan submitted by Jones, preserving a wildflower field on S. 31st Street. After the planning and zoning commission denied the original plan to be build the facility on 7.35 acres, the developer reduced the scale of the project to 3.57 acres to alleviate drainage concerns, according to the source. Several residents continued to oppose the project, and the council voted 4-1 to deny it.

Though most in opposition continued to voice displeasure over how the self-storage facility would fit within the community, some pressed the council to convert the land into a park to honor the city’s history. “I just want to remind the council that Temple is the Wildflower Capital of Texas. What are you doing to uphold that?” asked resident Rebecca Burrow. “This would be a wonderful opportunity to show how you are caring for your citizens to make this a park. Native plants in a native park would give a great sense of pride to the residents of Temple.”

Approximately 48 percent of the property owners within 200 feet of the proposed building site submitted letters opposing the self-storage project, the source reported.

1/20/17 – A self-storage project proposed by real estate developer Donald Jones would supplant a popular wildflower field on South 31st Street in Temple, Texas. Though the site is a favorite place for locals to take pictures during the spring, residents were more concerned with the impact the project could have on the nearby Deerfield Estates subdivision during a public meeting on Wednesday, according to the source.

Jones told meeting attendees he has taken several factors into consideration following a Dec. 6 meeting of the planning and zoning commission, including lowering the roof height and increasing the setback distance from the curb. He also indicated the building design will feature “soft colors” to fit in aesthetically with the neighborhood. “I can assure you this project will look better than any other project around town,” Jones told attendees. “There [are] many really classy self-storage facilities next to multi-million dollar homes.”

Several residents indicated the area already has a drainage problem and voiced concern that the development could worsen the issue or attract mosquitos. Though the site plan calls for two detention ponds to collect rainwater and drain into Friars Creek, the ponds won’t contribute to the drainage issue, Jones said. Project engineer Joshua Valenta of Matkin-Hoover Engineering & Surveying indicated they would drain within an hour, the source reported.

Temple was designated the Wildflower Capital of Texas in 1989, a distinction it now shares with DeWitt County. The building site becomes flush with bluebonnets and Indian paintbrush each spring, according to the source.

The planning and zoning commission is scheduled to revisit the rezoning request on Feb. 6. The city council could perform a first reading on the proposal on March 2.

Sources:

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