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This is a blog I posted on my county web site (Comm2.co.hays.us.tx) earlier in March. Since then the Buda city council has voted 7-0 to deny a zoning change for the Sunfield MUD developer that would have, uh, paved the way for U.S. Foods to locate on the eastern edge of town.
I support the council's decision. I'd also like to see U.S. Foods -- its jobs and its tax base -- locate somewhere in Hays County. It may be we can work out a solution to bring the project to Sunfield, or somewhere else in Buda -- or to a different location in the county.
If that's to happen, the company and the MUD developers will have to be flexible, responsive, and better at communicating than they have been to date. Opponents will have to keep an open mind. I'm working to bridge the gap.
The project's sponsors have addressed many of the questions about truck traffic, as I asked them to do. Other issues remain, including how much of the MUD should be reserved for light industrial vs. commercial use, and where is the best location for a business like U.S. Foods.
Meanwhile, below is what I had to say earlier. If you'd like a more detailed policy statement on U.S. Foods, contact my office and I'll be happy to share a letter I sent out to people who contacted me about the issue. The email address at my commissioner's office is jeff.barton@co.hays.tx.us.
The original blog:
Is there such a thing as too much Food?
Maybe. The proposal to bring jobs and tax base to Buda with a U.S. Foods distribution plant has run smack dab into equally serious concerns about traffic congestion, neighborhood planning, and the future look and feel of Buda.
The city itself is the key player here. Buda should determine for itself what it wants to be -- and what types of business locate there.
But the County is also affected in several ways. Most directly, as part of the proposal Hays County is being asked to improve several roads in the area.
I�ve made it clear that I won�t support incentives for capital improvements to benefit U.S. Foods until certain questions regarding truck traffic and congestion are addressed. I�ve also made it clear that I won�t support the project unless the City itself decides the proposed site is appropriate for the City�s neighborhoods and long-term land plan.
If you�ve got an opinion, I�d be glad to hear it. I would like to see U.S. Foods locate somewhere in Hays County. They have a reputation in Austin as a good neighbor. We could use the commercial tax base, and the job they would bring pay well and carry full benefits.
Even so, we don�t want to grow at any price. We�ve got to find the right place for U.S. Foods, and make sure they�ve got a plan to address traffic.
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