P&Z may vote on annexation land zoning
By SHANNON CRABTREE scrabtree@leader-news.com

El Campo Planning & Zoning commissioners are expected to review and vote upon recommended zoning for proposed municipal annexation tracts today.

The land use plans are being developed for presentation to the El Campo City Council Oct. 23 in advance of November public hearings on the five parcels targeted for annexation.

If all five tracts are ultimately accepted, the annexation would effect in excess of 300 landowners who are currently in the city's extraterritorial jurisdiction, or one mile radius of El Campo.

So far, City Manager John Steelman said, assorted landowners have had questions - especially related to agricultural land - and have called City Hall. However, no organized anti-annexation groups have arisen.

Under current state law, working ag land may be circumnavigated by the annexation effort, although city staff is still researching the exact regulations.

..Everything targeted for annexation will be zoned prior to induction into the city limits, a process P&Z officials hope to have a recommendation on today.

Land north of the city limits directly on Hwy. 71 is being considered for commercial and industrial use, tapering into residential as the tract approaches Sandy Corner Road.

The section, designated Area 1, is bounded by Sandy Corner Road to the west and Wilbur Road to the north while the eastern boundary would be 500 feet east of Hwy. 71 or the depth of the individual pieces of property.

Area 3 - the Sunset Terrace tract off FM 2765 just north of the new middle school site - should be residential as should Area 4 - a tract south of FM 2765 bounded north by FM 2765, east by Ellwood Street and south by Doris Street.

In Area 5 - a 1,000-plus foot wide strip from along East Jackson Street running east to U.S. 59 to a quarter mile east of the first El Campo exit - commercial uses made sense, they said, while in Area 6 - an L-shaped tract both north and south of Jackson Street from South Meadow Lane toward the Rice Belt bridge - a blend of industrial and commercial might be appropriate.

The Planning & Zoning Commission meets at 5 p.m. today in City Council Chamber, 315 E. Jackson.