MIDLAND, Texas — Concerned residents of Legacy Neighborhood in west Midland had their voices heard at Monday's Midland Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, and they were rewarded by the commissioners.
The complaints from the residents were in regard to a request for development of about 125 new houses, and that request was denied 4-1.
Several residents in the neighborhood spoke out about their concerns which ranged from traffic to safety, as well as schooling and infrastructure.
Ultimately, the commissioners listened and came to the decision to deny the request.
On Monday afternoon, the commission heard from D.R. Horton about its request to develop more housing on the west side of Midland.
Despite meeting all the requirements, the concerns of residents in the area during public comment was enough to convince the commission to deny the request.
“The city hadn’t developed enough infrastructure for that particular sector of land," said Midland Planning and Zoning Commissioner Abraham Bejil. "I felt that, also with the additional concern from all the citizens that were brought forward, that those citizens complaints and major concerns regarding the transportation, regarding the safety."
The objection percentage from the neighborhood was strong, and their efforts paid off.
“I’m very happy," said Midland Legacy Resident Ramon Sanchez. "I just want to thank all my neighbors that came out and supported. I want to thank all the neighbors that actually showed up to the meetings that we had, and also [to] everyone that signed the petitions and objection letters.”
Neither side is against development, they just feel it needs to be done responsibly.
“We need to take care of the current issues that we have – the flooding, the egress, the potential fire hazards, the school at capacity -- you know let’s do it responsibly," said Sanchez. "In time, this place needs homes, in time you will get your chance to build home[s], but let’s do it responsibly.”
“We need more housing, we need more development here in Midland, but it has to be done, again, in a [responsible] way, and it has to be done to coincide with our infrastructure, meaning the roads and the utilities," said Bejil. "So we need that first, in some areas, and right now that particular area is just not developed well enough to allow for [that] housing.”
Commissioner Lucy Sisniega was the only one who voted for the request, citing impact fees that come with development that can be used to pay for those infrastructure fixes.
The city council will discuss this at next week’s meeting, and Sanchez told me he hopes to have their support.