Dear Neighbors,
First:
According to City Administrator Don Ferguson, City Council WILL NOT
consider the approval of HEB's building and variance requests at the
meeting today, Thursday, Dec. 19, which we previously understood to be
the case. Mr. Ferguson said the council will consider the HEB issue at
the Thursday, Jan. 2 meeting. That meeting is not yet on the City
Calendar, www.cityofwimberley.com, but they are usually at 6 p.m.
Last night:
On Dec. 18, before a second consecutive standing-room-only crowd of
very involved Wimberley citizens, the Wimberley Planning and Zoning
Commission voted 4-3 to send to City Council the commission's
recommendation to approve the HEB proposal for a new store, gas station
and car wash just north of the intersection of RR 12 and FM 2325 (just
behind Ace Hardware). As pointed out by the commission chair, Tom Haley,
this is a recommendation only; City Council may or may not approve it.
The
three members who voted against approval, Steve Klepfer, Beth Mitchell
and Rick Burleson, did so for a combination of reasons, including
location and impact on the city. It would be inappropriate to
characterize their complex and individual reasons without extensive
quotes. However, one common theme - shared by the Citizens Alliance for
Responsible Development and many people in attendance - was that the
process was unnecessarily and dangerously hasty, without enough
opportunity for thorough study and without time for citizen education,
consideration and input.
Many
citizens spoke. Let there be no doubt that this is a committed and
involved community of which we can be proud. Opinions ranged from, to
paraphrase, "No HEB here at all", to "Yes, I want HEB here". The
overwhelming majority was somewhere between, wanting things such as more
public input, more restrictions on size, no gas station or more time
for deliberation and planning. It is fair to say that virtually no one
expressed feelings negative to HEB as a business, and that HEB has shown
willingness to listen to and, in some cases, address concerns.
As
stated previously, CARD has taken no position on whether HEB should
come into Wimberley. It is not just a question of if HEB comes here, but
how it comes: The size of the store, how it looks, where it is located,
what it does to and for the community, and how it affects traffic,
water supply, water runoff and the city's character and future. City
Council is faced with not one decision, but many. What it decides will
have a major impact on Wimberley, for good or ill - probably a lot of
both - and all citizens should become as informed as possible, and then
let City Council know their feelings.
Louis Parks
Chair, CARD
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