El Paso City Council votes to make concrete plant permanent fixture at Rio Bosque

Once again bucking the will of a chorus of El Paso residents, the El Paso City Council voted to rezone an area around the Rio Bosque Wetlands Park to allow Jobe Materials to operate a permanent concrete batch plant on the land.

West-Central city Rep. Josh Acevedo was the lone voice of opposition in the 7-1 vote Tuesday, May 7, which was preceded by hours of public comment dominated by voices opposed to the plan.

A similar scene played out earlier in the day when the City Council voted on a 28% increase to water impact fees on new developments at the city's edges after dozens of residents called for a 100% increase after 15 years with no change.

Rezoning the land around the Rio Bosque from Ranch & Farm to Light Manufacturing means Jobe Materials, which has been operating a temporary plant on the site for the last year, can make their operation there permanent. Additionally, where the temporary plant was solely there to provide concrete for the Bustamante Water Treatment Plant project, the change in zoning means the Jobe Materials site can now do business in the private sector as well.

The Bustamante project represents a nearly $1 billion investment for El Paso Water, a spokesperson said at the meeting, and advocates for the permanent concrete plant insisted that its proximity to the water plant project represents a cost-saving measure.

Additionally, El Paso Water and Jobe Materials have agreed to advance a handful of conservation efforts around the plant, including a row of trees between the concrete plant and the park, an easement to introduce more water into the area, and the reintroduction of more native plants.

But opponents of the plan, which included conservationists, scientists and activists, said that allowing Jobe Materials' concrete batch plant to take up permanent residence around the wetlands park would detract from the natural beauty of the area and funnel more air and noise pollution into a city already blanketed in both.

'Concrete does not pollute our planet'

Among those who turned out to push for the rezoning were Stanley and Martie Jobe of Jobe Materials.

While Staney Jobe focused on the significant financial investment his company has made in the area — about $250,000 in development fees, around $195,000 to El Paso Electric and around half a million dollars in the concrete plant itself — Martie Jobe sought to allay opponents' fears that the rezoning could lead to further encroachment on the land.

"We are, and plan on being, good environmental stewards of this property," Martie Jobe said. "We are determined to be good neighbors and good environmental partners ... "

More: El Paso City Council to consider handing over land around wetland park for concrete plant

Self-proclaimed concrete aficionado David Venegas likewise voiced support for the project, saying concrete is "one of the most sustainable products on the planet" as it absorbs CO2 and essentially becomes carbon neutral.

"Concrete does not pollute our planet," he said. "That is a huge misconception."

Engineer John Cordova lent his voice in support of the project, saying the location of the batch plant leaves it ideally situated for potential future public works projects.

But possibly the most powerful — and surprising — voice of support came from John Sproul, manager of the Rio Bosque Wetlands Park, who said he has seen no signs for worry over the last year Jobe Materials' concrete plant has operated near the park.

"My sense is that the operations at the plant are careful, they're responsible, and in my view ... there's not a potential for significant impact on the park environment or on the experience visitors have when they come to enjoy it," he said.

Still, Sproul did note that one "valid concern" was the worry that the rezoning might set an "unfortunate precedent and encourage future efforts to encroach" on the open-space corridor southeast of the batch plant.

Rio Bosque 'will be unrecognizable'

While those pushing the rezoning may have won the support of City Council members, several of which noted campaign contributions they've received from Stanley Jobe — city Reps. Isabel Salcido, Art Fierro and Cassandra Hernandez, as well as Mayor Oscar Leeser — public comment was overwhelmingly opposed to the plan.

While roughly a dozen turned out in-person or called in to voice their opposition, nearly a dozen others sent emails urging the City Council to reject the proposal.

Among those on hand for the May 7 meeting, wearing a black t-shirt emblazoned with the words "Save Rio Bosque," was Jon Rezendes, who the Rio Bosque "will become unrecognizable" as a result of the City Council's "immoral" and "un-American" decision to "gift" land to Jobe Materials.

"This is crony capitalism," he said. "This is not free-market capitalism."

Jerry Kurtyka of the Community First Coalition said the noise and particulates from the concrete plant would detract from the Rio Bosque.

"There really isn't any way to dress it up, I think, and say it's a good thing," he said.

Kurtyka called on the city to stick to its 2012 plan, which called for a 1,400-acre nature preserve around the Rio Bosque.

Laurence Gibson of the El Paso Sierra Club made a similar plea, urging Jobe Materials to locate its plant across the street from the wetlands park, where land is already zoned for light manufacturing to establish an open-space buffer around the Rio Bosque park.

"If we could keep that open space intact," he said, "our children would appreciate it as the city grows up around it. Open spaces is definitely a quality-of-life issue and here in El Paso, we need to be careful about the quality of life."

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso City Council agrees to permanent concrete plant at Rio Bosque