Area Residents Oppose Proposed Industrial Zoning, Annexation Passes
Despite opposition from Kilgore-area residents, council annexed and zoned industrial more than 300 acres on Highway 221. The mayor said no data center will go on the site.
Dozens of residents came to the July council meeting to oppose the annexation and industrial zoning of more than 300 acres on Highway 221 near Elijah Simmons and Mary Hanna roads, south of town. Ten people spoke. Most raised the loss of a quiet, rural way of life, and some questioned the "shoestring" annexation method, which uses a 10-foot strip to connect the parcel to the city limits.
Mayor Kenneth Gist said a data center will not happen on the parcel during this administration. City Manager Lee Bailey said there is no buyer or proposed development. The owner has marketed the land as an industrial site for about 20 years, and annexing it puts it under the city's stricter development rules. Council approved it unanimously and gave first reading to the data-center and crypto-mining ban.
The Municipal Association of South Carolina also placed Woodruff on its honor roll, because every council member has graduated from its elected-officials institute.