Planning and Zoning approve rezoning clearing way for new truck washing company
Published 6:36 pm Tuesday, October 4, 2016
By Dawn Burleigh
dawn.burleigh@orangeleader.com
Orange City Council held a special call meeting on Thursday to hold a public hearing concerning the rezoning of property for a $2.7 million project.
A business currently located in Beaumont wants to relocate to Orange next to the truck stop, Flyin’ J.
Council held the first public hearing on Sept. 13. At that time, a representative of the company said he hopes the business will be up and running prior to the end of the lease for the current location. The lease ends in six months.
The company plans to recruit employees from Orange and will employ 40-50 persons.
Blue Beacon owns and operates over 100 truck wash locations across the US and Canada. Each location is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, according to its official website.
During the second public hearing, there were no comments made by the public for or against the annexation of the property.
Following the Special Call meeting, the city council held a joint meeting with the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission.
During the Tuesday evening meeting, another public hearing for the purpose of rezoning the land was held.
Again, no comments made by the public for or against the annexation of the property.
Following the public hearing, and the adjournment of the city council, Planning and Zoning continued their meeting. After approval of the May 31, 2016 meeting, the commission voted on the rezoning of 5.289 acre tract along the west right of way line of State Hwy. 62 and northwesterly along Interstate 10.
A unanimous vote approved the rezoning allowing the Blue Beacon to move ahead to the next step in moving the company to the fruit city.
The commission also approved making a recommendation to the city council to amend the Future Land Use Map to reflect the newly approved rezoning.
As the last order of business, Planning and Zoning considered the request by the City of Orange to declare two parcels of land as surplus property.
“The city acquired the property years ago,” Director of Planning and Community Development Kelvin Knauf said. “The city has no need for it and there has been interest in purchasing the property.”
The location of the properties are 2943 11th Street and 1404 Burton Ave.
“There are scads of property the city owns,” Knauf said. “We are going through them now to have more declared surplus.”
