A proposed Starkville-Oktibbeha County industrial park received a rezoning recommendation from Starkville’s Planning and Zoning Commission despite resistance from local landowners.
Planning and Zoning Commission Chairman Michael Brooks said the board approved recommending several parcels of land to M-1 industrial zoning for the roughly 380-acre industrial park.
Brooks said commissioners voted 4-0 in favor of the matter. Patrick Miller and Jon Moore were absent from the meeting. The matter must now go before the Starkville Board of Aldermen for a final decision.
The proposed park would be located on the north side of Highway 82 near the Highway 25 intersection.
Starkville Community Developer Buddy Sanders said the project drew resistance from a few landowners in that vicinity, especially the Bell family that owns land to the east, north and west of the proposed park site.
“They expressed concern about not wanting an industrial site so close,” Sanders said. “No one knows what will be placed on the site. No one knows the exact, specific uses.”
Sanders said the M-1 industrial zoning is a general industrial zoning that allows for a broad range of uses.
Golden Triangle Development LINK Chief Operating Officer Joseph Deason, however, told the Dispatch that residents shouldn’t have to worry about an unwanted development in the park.
“The city of Starkville is putting up $7 million for this. Oktibbeha County is putting up $7 million for this,” he said. “Do you think the city and county and OCEDA (Oktibbeha County Economic Development Association), who is going to control the park, are going to spend $14 million to put a junk plant there? I don’t think so.”
Brooks said the LINK petitioned the commission on behalf of Starkville and Oktibbeha County and convinced commissioners that the location was the best option for an industrial park because of its access to major highways, the construction of a new major gas line to the location and a commitment from 4County to build a substation that will provide 60 megawatts of power to the location.
“Some (property owners) were concerned (and) just opposed the idea, and some wanted to know more about it in a fact-finding way, if you will,” he said. “Our commissioners asked questions and listened in the public hearing. We listened to all sides and made the decision we felt was best for the land.”
Brooks noted the commission approved recommending the rezoning under the condition that, if the park falls through, the land will return to its original zoning. The LINK was forced to abandon the Innovation District, a planned site near Highway 182, in 2015 due to the discovery of cultural artifacts.
“That is still zoned as M-1, which is possibly not the best use of that land,” he said.
Oktibbeha County supervisors rejected an initial bid for bonds on the industrial park due to technical issues with interest rates and are expected to take the matter back up at their Dec. 19 meeting. Starkville aldermen approved advertising bonds for the city’s bond issue last week and will move ahead with bond bids in January.
Deason said notices of intent must be issued to landowners before Jan. 31, when options on the property expire. He said once that is done, there will be about 45 days to pay for the land itself. After that, cultural and wetland mitigation will begin, with infrastructure construction to follow.
The LINK should begin marketing the site in June or July, Deason said.
Alex Holloway was formerly a reporter with The Dispatch.
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