SAN ANTONIO — Garden Ridge city council members, acting as a special board Wednesday, voted to limit construction on a planned ready-mix concrete plant.
But it’s not clear whether the city has the authority to regulate the property. Attorneys for Guadalupe Ready Mix signaled they will fight the decision.
“You’re the only ones we can go to to avoid expensive litigation, which we’d like to avoid if possible, but we’re ready to proceed with,” said Jeffrey Earl, representing Guadalupe Ready Mix.
Dozens of residents testified against construction, which they say will make their town dustier. About half of Garden Ridge is already zoned for industrial work, like concrete production.
Dust-covered cars packed city hall’s parking lot Wednesday.
“Enough is enough,” resident Robert Bittermann said. “You can’t do anything outside… it’s hard to breathe.”
Guadalupe Ready Mix already has state approval to build the batch plant, where raw material is combined to form easy-mix concrete.
Two tall storage silos would soar over a nearby preschool, under the proposed site plan.
City leaders contend the silos violate an ordinance limiting building heights to 35 feet. Guadalupe Ready Mix says their construction falls under a different zoning agreement.
Attorneys might ask a judge to decide which takes precedent.
The board denied Guadalupe Ready Mix’s request for an exception to the height ordinance, which the company’s attorneys say they filed as a courtesy.
A Guadalupe Ready Mix manager told the board the company could operate a plant using a different storage facility that would meet city code, but that the other building would produce even more dust and noise.
On paper, Wednesday’s fight was over plant schematics and designs. But residents acknowledged they’re really trying to slow industrial expansion in the area.
New facilities would spew more dust and put more trucks on city roads, they said.
“Our town with a quarry is becoming a quarry with a town,” one resident said.