July 28 Council Meeting: 333-Acre Industrial Annexation Approved, Data Center Ban Advances
Woodruff City Council approved annexing and zoning about 333 acres for industry near Highway 221 and gave first-reading approval to Ordinance 26-010, which would bar data centers and crypto mining in industrial districts.
The Woodruff Times, in a July 30 recap by publisher Tracy Sanders, laid out what residents should know after the City Council's July 28 meeting.
Council approved the annexation and industrial zoning of roughly 333 acres in the area of Highway 221, Kilgore Bridge Road, Elijah Simmons Road and Mary Hanna Road. The paper stressed that the city has not approved a specific development there. But because the land is now zoned industrial, future projects that meet the rules may be reviewed and approved without another rezoning hearing.
Council also gave first-reading approval to Ordinance 26-010, which would prohibit data centers, cryptocurrency mining and mining operations in the city's industrial districts. It needs a final reading before it becomes law.
The recap lists concerns raised by residents, including not knowing what will be built, traffic and road safety, water quality, noise and light, thin buffers between industry and more than 75 nearby households, fire protection and emergency readiness, rural character, difficulty getting planning documents, the legality of a 10-foot annexation strip, and representation for people living outside city limits.
Residents can follow upcoming Planning Commission and City Council agendas at cityofwoodruff.com.
A note from us: this is the outlet's account of the meeting, not official minutes. Read the original recap at The Woodruff Times.