Updates
August 24, 2011: decision tabled again after two hours discussion.
Original Post
Link here.The Williston Planning and Zoning Commission voted Monday to recommend approval of a proposed zone change that would allow an oil company facility to be built near a school.
A proposal was brought forward by Weatherford. The company was asking for a zone change on acreage in the city's one mile extraterritorial area from agricultural and R-5 Mobile Home Court zoning to M-2 Heavy Industrial.
Williston Planning and Zoning Director Kent Jarcik explained that Weatherford was looking to place an office building on 80 acres of a 160-acre site along 133rd Avenue Northwest.
Jarcik added that the proposed site is near Stony Creek Elementary School.I love that last line: it almost sounds as if Weatherford and Ken Jarcik conspired (a very strong word, I know) to not tell the whole story, but then, unable to contain himself, Jarcik "added" that, oh, yes, the proposed site is near an elementary school. A headquarters building near an elementary school is starting to mix commercial with residential, but the story goes on to say that the Weatherford site would also be a place for parking 18-wheelers and storing pipe. So, now we get residential mixed with commercial mixed with industrial.
When I first wrote this, I said "the story is not so important. I post it only to remind folks that Weatherford is located in the Bakken." Maybe I was wrong.
So, several issues here.
