MIDLAND, TX (KWES) - A group of residents spoke in opposition to a proposed zone change at the city council meeting held on September 11.
The residents were against an 8-acre tract of land owned by the Bobby Cox Family Limited Partnership company being re-zoned as a multiple family dwelling district.
The rezoning is a step in a series of planned ordinances to build a Class-A apartment complex featuring 110 units on the property located south of Andrews highway and east of Midland Dr.
Many of the residents who spoke in opposition, including Sharon Humphreys, live on Princeton street which is the first parallel street south of Andrews highway.
According to Humphreys, the apartment complex and several associated factors such as entry and exit streets will cause a variety of issues for her and her neighbors.
She says one planned exit street splits two residential properties on Princeton and funnels on to the street.
She also says during rush hour, cars using this path to avoid traffic on Midland and Andrews could lead to a dramatic increase in traffic, reducing the safety of the community.
Humphreys also believes the privacy she and her husband have become accustomed to will be jeopardized. Her property line from the proposed complexes are less than 100 feet away, and with two-story apartments, she believes people will be able to see into her home at night.
Meanwhile, city officials like Mayor Jerry Morales are defending the project as they look to provide valuable housing for a city in desperate need.
"We're working with the property owners to make sure we put in the private fencing and landscaping that makes it an attractive business to complement the neighborhood, and not put a burden on the neighborhood. The council's point today was we need housing and we are going to work with traffic in the area to make sure its complimentary to the existing neighborhood," said Morales.
The council eventually approved the first reading of the zone change ordinance unanimously, but before the ordinance goes into effect, it will have to head to council for a second reading.
