After cancelling the last City Council meeting on October 14 for lack of quorum, the council is set to meet on Thursday evening, October 23, with the rezoning for a new AEP electric substation on the agenda again. It’s unknown if the council will vote on the rezoning, but it has held the required public hearings and has the ability to pass or deny the ordinance.
The substation is proposed for a location—a four-acre residential lot on the east side of town, at the corner of Oak and Aparejo streets, just before the bridge over Alamito Creek—currently zoned residential that would need a zoning change by the council to industrial. The rezoning has faced significant opposition from Marfa residents and a recommendation by the Planning & Zoning Commission to deny it. However, some residents have spoken out in favor of the change to allow AEP to create new electrical infrastructure.
For a full recap of all the stories Big Bend Sentinel has written on the AEP substation, including community comments, maps, and the Planning & Zoning report—all free to view—visit bigbendsentinel.com/aep-rezone.