By: Jeremy Handel, Staff Writer
The Woodruff City Council gave final approval for the annexation and zoning of 60 acres along Highway 101 for a planned development and passed the first reading to annex and zone approximately 300 acres on Highway 101 for a potential industrial park at their September meeting.
Prior to the meeting’s official agenda, Woodruff resident Josephine Thomas addressed the council regarding the status of a proposed donation from the Tory Dandy Foundation to the city for youth recreation efforts. She asked why the city had not moved forward with plans for the donation that was pledged to the city. Mayor Kenneth Gist told Thomas that the city was indeed working with Dandy’s Foundation to develop a plan that they both could agree on.
In the business agenda, the council unanimously approved the annexation of two parcels along Highway 101 and zoned them planned development for the construction of retail and housing development. The properties include 44.1 acres at 6228 Highway 101 and 16.11 acres at 5922 Highway 101. City Manager Lee Bailey told the council the development is expected to have retail stores facing the highway with housing behind it.
In new business, the council approved the first reading of a request to annex two parcels at 6400 and 6401 Highway 101 and zone them as I-2 heavy industrial. The properties contain approximately 300 acres, according to Bailey. The developer is proposing a large industrial park that would be built out to attract businesses to the area. Bailey indicated the proposed project fits in with the zoning for the area and the comprehensive plan for the city.
“Our vision has always been to have jobs in Woodruff, and this plan brings those jobs here,” he told the council. The second reading for the project is expected at the council’s October meeting.
In other business, the council approved the first reading of an ordinance to regulate mobile food vendors that operate in the city. Under the new ordinance, vendors would be limited in where they can operate and for how long.
Bailey told the council that with the growth in the area, the city is getting more requests from mobile vendors – food trucks – to operate, and the city did not have a comprehensive set of rules for them. Under the proposed ordinance, vendors would be limited to operating on commercially zoned properties, must remove their operation nightly, and can only operate in the same location for three consecutive days to limit the competition with permanent restaurants in the city. The ordinance also required vendors to obtain a permit from the city to operate. The second reading of this ordinance is expected to be at the next city council meeting.
The city council meets on the last Tuesday of each month at 5:30 p.m. at Woodruff City Hall.
Author: Tracy Sanders
