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Owners of La Tienda Thriftway, Pecos Autoplex, Family Dollar Store,
Showtime/Pizza Pro and the former service station on the front of the
lot in the 800-1000 block of Eddy Street filed application to the
commission to change the zone from C-1 to C-2.
Their petition will be heard at 6 p.m. Thursday in council chambers at
Pecos City Hall.
Dr. Norman Harris, who owns all the affected property except La Tienda,
previously sought the zone change, but withdrew his application due to
opposition to beer and wine sales at the former Furr's Supermarket,
which was bought out by La Tienda last November.
Harris then filed application for and received an exception to the C-1
zone allowing the sale of used cars and mobile homes from the former
White's building and parking lot.
Dr. Harris said at the time of his initial application for a zone change
that he wanted to develop the area, and the C-1 zone is too restrictive.
Uses permitted in a C-1 zone include banks, cemeteries, offices, studio,
service station, restaurants, cleaning shops, retail store (no
secondhand goods, beer or liquor), barber and beauty shops, retail ice
station, florist shop, children's nursery, washateria and indoor motion
picture theater.
Any of those may be operated in a C-2 zone, plus advertising signs,
bulletins and billboards, agricultural employment sales and service,
amusement places, automobile sales and repair, bakeries and bottling
works,
Beer and liquor retail store, beer parlor; bowling alley, commercial
school, builder's supplies, bus station, catering, candy manufacturer,
electrical shop, feed store, garage, hotel, laundry, monument sales,
mortuary, lumber yards, paint shops, pet shops, photographers studio,
pest control service, plumbing shop, printing shop, produce market,
radio repair shop, sales and show rooms,
Shoe repair shop, skating rink, tire repair shop, tin shop, tourist or
trailer court, secondhand goods store, trailer sales and service
(outside storage permitted), and used automobile sales.
Lots included in the zone change application are 1-8 and part of 9 (La
Tienda); part of 14 and 15-21 (Harris Properties).
Neither C.R. Anthony's nor Serranito's Restaurant are included in the
request. They are the only other businesses located in the Parker
Heights Addition.
Town of Pecos City building inspector Jack Brookshire and City Manager
Harry Nagel said this morning that may constitute spot zoning, which is
prohibited.
Jim Ivy, who led opposition to the application for exception allowing
beer and wine sales at Furr's Supermarket, said he wants to keep the
Eddy Street corridor free of such enterprises.
The C-1 zone allows a "family friendly mixture of businesses, schools,
churches and residences," he said.
Changing to a C-2 zone would not be in the best interest of the
community, he said.
Several other businesses have expressed a desire to sell beer along Eddy
Street, and it would not be fair to grant the privilege to one and deny
the others, Ivy said.
Ivy said he and Michael Wyles recently opposed Harris' invitation for
the Athletic Booster Club to operate a bingo game in part of the present
Showtime store once a week.
Dennis Thorp, who presented the proposal for Dr. Harris, said that other
organizations, including the Pecos Little League and Band Boosters, were
also approached, and some of them may accept the offer.
After listening to the arguments at the athletic booster club, Thorp
said he agreed it was not a good idea.
"There are better ways to raise money, and I probably don't want to
convey that message to the kids," Thorp said.
He said Dr. Harris also mentioned plans to tear down the old service
station and build a convenience store on the front of the lot, where
beer and wine would be sold.
Ivy said that a comparison of police calls to the two Allsup's
convenience stores revealed that numerous alcohol-related incidents were
reported at the Cedar Street store where beer and wine are sold. Very
few were reported at the Eddy Street store, he said.
"If 50 percent of the people are in favor of the zone change, I wouldn't
oppose it. But I haven't talked to anyone who favors it," Ivy said.
As to La Tienda owner Bill Fenn's fear that his customers will drive to
Odessa to shop if he does not offer beer and wine, Ivy said he thinks
Fenn is mistaken.
"I think people go out of town because prices are so high here," he
said. "I just came back from my first shopping trip to H.E.B. I told one
of the girls at La Tienda that this will be the last time I buy turkeys
for my people here if this beer thing goes through. A lot of people
don't want that."
Six other architects submitted proposals, which the board reviewed in
their regular meeting Friday. Since Ed Vaughn did a good job on the two
previous CIAP projects and helped PHA secure a grant for the new one,
the board voted unanimously to hire him again.
Other proposals were submitted by El Paso architects Alvidrez, Barajas &
Bustamantes, Garland & Hill and Acosta Engineers; and Schuldt, Gosa &
Babineaux of Shreveport La. and Cameron Alread of Fort Worth.
Alread said in a letter to the board that if they were pleased with
Vaughn, he would recommend they stay with him.
"Vaughn has always treated us well," said board chairman Frank Perea.
Executive Director Nellie Gomez said that Vaughn knows PHA's problems
and needs.
"If they hadn't helped us put the proposal together, we wouldn't have
gotten any money," she said.
She said that Vaughn "really went out of the way" to help her and Jo Ann
Cranfield when they went to Fort Worth for training.
Cranfield, who handles CIAP administration, said she was pleased with
Vaughn.
"Any time I pick up that phone, if they don't know the answer, they do
research and call us back," she said.
Gomez had some bad news for the board about two other grants they had
applied for that were denied: the 1996 Public Housing Drug Elimination
Program, for which they sought $65,000; and the $75,000 HOPS program
which was eliminated.
The good news was an 88.23-point rating on HUD compliance and a good
CIAP review, which showed no major findings.
HUD monitors said they were impressed with the amount of dedication,
enthusiasm and expertise shown by the staff.
"All are well trained and doing an exemplary job in most areas," the
report stated.
In other business, Karl Armstead presented the sole bid for oil and gas
lease of 15 acres in the old Airbase property. His bid of $35 per acre
by Murphy H. Baxter Oil Co. was accepted.
Gomez said that Cynthia Montoya moved out of her HUD apartment last week
rather than appeal an eviction order from Justice of the Peace Court.
Alex Salcido has agreed to clean the Airbase lots for $1,060, including
hauling off dead trees that have been chopped down, Gomez said.
She said she contacted Herman Tarin, Precinct 3 county commissioner, and
he said the county can't compete with private business.
"I realize the county shouldn't be competing with private sector, but if
we can get the county or city to help us, we could save $1,000," Perea
said.
Gomez said that last year the city agreed to clean the lots and charge
$15 per hour for each man. They said it would take two men two days.
She said Salcido will take a week or two to do the job, because he has
to walk in front of the tractor to avoid hitting concrete foundations
and walks left on the property.
The Airbase account has $24,000 left after about $7,000 was spent on the
new park that high school students are constructing near the HUD office,
Gomez said. And money from the oil and gas lease will go into that
account.
Ray Golden's motion to hire Salcido passed unanimously.
The board agreed to advertise for sale a 1993 Chevrolet pickup no longer
used by the maintenance crew; approved monthly reports and set the
annual meeting for Dec. 13 in the Swiss Clock Inn.
Of 130 HUD apartments, 119 are occupied.
Farm Labor Housing has 24 vacant apartments out of 57. The general
account balance is $13,771.
Javier Gomez, 29, was pronounced dead at 5:28 a.m., Sunday, by Brewster
County Justice of the Peace Shirley Williams of Marathon, an hour and 18
minutes after Gomez veered off U.S. 67/90, while driving southbound in a
1990 Eagle, about 1.5 miles east of Alpine.
According to investigating Department of Public Safety troopers, Gomez
overcorrected to the left and skidded broadside before striking a
culvert, causing the vehicle to fly over a barbed wire fence and roll
over more than one time.
Gomez and one of the passengers were ejected from the vehicle, while the
third remained pinned inside the auto, according to the DPS report.
Injured were: Julina Paulo Hinojos, 17, of Alpine, who is currently in
critical condition at Big Bend Regional Medical Center in Alpine with a
broken leg and ankle, chest injuries, bruises and abrasions; and John
Frank Lechuga, 24, of Alpine, who is also listed in critical condition
at the Alpine Hospital with closed head injuries.
No seatbelts were worn by any of the travelers, according to the DPS
reports, which were submitted by Trooper Justin Stanley of Fort Stockton
and Trooper Robert Lujan of Marfa.
Gomez's body was taken to Geeslin Funeral Home in Alpine. Next of kin
have been notified.
Services are incomplete for Raymond Soto, 27, of Pecos, who died Sunday,
Nov. 17 at Baylor Medical Center in Dallas.
Newt Keen, 77, of Mentone died Friday, Nov. 15, 1996, in a Lubbock
hospital. Services will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday in Grace Temple Baptist
Church in Kermit, with burial in Kermit Cemetery, directed by Cooper
Funeral Chapel.
Keen was a Korean War veteran, retired rancher, Loving County constable
and a Baptist.
Survivors include two daughters, Emily Hogue of Bowie and Billie Sharp
of Kermit; three sons, Stanley Keen of Mertzon, Jack Keen of Kermit and
Fred Keen of Mentone; a brother, Lee Keen of Bluegrove; 17 grandchildren
and eight great-grandchildren.
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_
Copyright 1996 by Pecos Enterprise
Division of Buckner News Alliance, Inc.
324 S. Cedar St., Pecos, TX 79772
Phone 915-445-5475, FAX 915-445-4321
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