MARFA — A public hearing on the potential American Electric Power (AEP) property rezone will take place at 6 p.m. Tuesday, August 5, in the Casner Room at City Hall. It is an opportunity for the public to make their opinions heard on the issue.

This will be the third public hearing to take place on AEP’s request to rezone a piece of property on the east side from residential to industrial to construct a new substation. The lot is a four-acre parcel at the corner of E. Oak and N. Aparejo streets just before the Alamito Creek bridge. Marfa’s Planning and Zoning (P&Z) Commission held two public hearings on the matter earlier this spring. 

The new substation — which AEP has argued is needed to ensure the reliability of the town’s power supply — is expected to be much larger in size, effectively tripling the capacity of the existing Oak Street substation, and to cost $7 to $10 million, which the city and school district will benefit from in the form of new tax revenue. 

This will be the first, and perhaps the only, public hearing that Marfa’s City Council will hold. P&Z recommended council deny the rezone in a report, arguing that it will negatively impact the neighborhood, but council has the ultimate say on whether or not it will go through.

One P&Z commissioner, Lee Mediano, was absent for the meeting in which P&Z voted on their report. Citing a letter from the city attorney included in the report, Mediano stated in a recent City Council meeting that, unlike his fellow commissioners, he wished to publicly cast his vote not for or against the rezone, but for “with conditions,” as long as it is for the good of the public. 

It is not yet clear if council members will vote to approve or deny AEP’s rezone request on August 5 after the public hearing, or if they will choose to schedule another hearing and cast their votes at a later date. It is on council’s agenda to discuss the project at this coming Thursday’s regular meeting. 

There are several factors at play that complicate the rezone, including potential alternative sites, the fact that the property in question has been under litigation for several years, and several decision makers involved in the rezone are tied to AEP or the neighborhood. 

To view a copy of the P&R report in its entirety or read The Sentinel’s past coverage of the issue, visit bigbendsentinel.com/aeprezone