Zoning vote sends Greensmiths looking again

Little Elm, Tex.-Greensmiths Inc. may have a tough time finding another location for its new golf course fertilizer blending, packaging, and distribution warehouse after being turned down by local planning and zoning officials. Greensmiths has wanted to move from its present location in adjacent Frisco, where it’s been operating in a very old building with some of its equipment outside in the weather. But Greensmiths had its eye on part of a 35-acre tract on the town’s outskirts that needed to be rezoned from single-family residential to light industrial. According to the local press, about 300 Little Elm and Frisco residents packed the town hall center for a public hearing on the proposed zoning change, expressing concerns for the safety of their children, increased traffic, and environmental problems. Part of the land borders the upscale Trails of Frisco neighborhood, and an elementary school is also close to the proposed site. The crowd cheered and applauded when the commission voted 5-0 against the change. Planning and Zoning Commission Chairman Rod Luther told the press that board members voted against the zoning change because they did not want the other uses that a light industrial designation permits. He said they weren’t rejecting the fertilizer facility. “It was a straight zoning request, not business specific, and I tried my hardest to divorce the two,” Little Elm Planning Director John Taylor told Green Markets. But he butted up against objections from residents – not so much in Little Elm, but from owners in Frisco, where homes run up to $1 million. The irony is that Frisco is one of the reasons Greensmiths needs to move, because the town bought the company’s property to turn it into a park. Greensmiths officials didn’t comment on the situation, but their real estate agent said he was looking for another location. The problem is, according to Taylor, there’s not much industrial-type property available. The commission’s recommendation must still go before the Little Elm City Council, but no one thinks the council will vote otherwise.