INGLESIDE, Tx — The Planning & Zoning Commission of Ingleside heard the concerns of the community during Monday's meeting.
The concern is over the application to rezone 288.13 acres of land located off TX-361. The property also neighbors Ingleside High School and residential homes on Amarillo and Humble streets.
The Port of Texas LP submitted the rezoning application with the intent of building a tank farm for "bulk storage, blending, and movement of crude oil and other unrefined hydrocarbon products."
“I live three blocks from the high school; why would anyone put something like that so close to a school district and residential area?" Ingleside resident Bonnie Hyde said during public comments.
Hyde finished her designated three minutes by saying the city would need to add a billboard that reads "Enter at your own risk" if they approved the rezoning.
Patrick Nye, another Ingleside resident, was also concerned about possible health risks associated with the rezoning project. Nye focused on the site's proximity to the high school, stating, “The health of our children is really the most important thing we have here. That’s our legacy.”
Kenneth Berry, the owner of the property, was present at Monday's meeting and attempted to ease the community's concerns. He emphasized that the site had historically been home to an oil refinery in 1928, before it was dismantled in 1952. It became the site of tank farms until 2005.
“That refinery was there before the school, before any of these people were born, before any of these people had houses there," Berry said.
“We’re just asking to allow for continued use of the site in its historic capacity. We’re not asking for anything new. This site has been a tank farm for 103 years."
The site was similarly the center of community concern in 2023 when a group of developers attempted to permanently zone and build a Micro Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) facility and storage. Ingleside City Council voted unanimously against the project.
The Planning & Zoning Commission voted to continue the discussion on the rezoning at their next meeting. However, the Ingleside City Council will hear details on the project during their meeting on Aug. 13.
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