A new Academy

Odessa got one step closer to a new Academy Sports and Outdoors store Tuesday night, when city council voted to change zoning on a sliver of a new development.

Council gave first approval on a change from “single family-one-drill reservation-surface drainage” to “light commercial” on property at the new Chimney Rock Center at the northeast corner of Highway 191 and Loop 338. City Manager Richard Morton said the Academy store is planned for the 0.82 acres that is currently used for drilling.

In the council’s briefing before the meeting, Marwan Khoury, city planning director, said that eight of nine leaseholders on the land had signed off on the transfer, but Chevron had yet to do so.

After the meeting, Morton said Chevron’s approval is expected.

“That’s forthcoming,” he said. “They just couldn’t make it happen by this meeting.”

Approval will be required in order for the city to issue a building permit on the property, Morton said.

The 40-acre shopping center is being built by Odessa developer Larry Lee and the Woodmont Company of Fort Worth. Other announced tenants are Best Buy and Marshalls.

While none of the six nearby property owners who received letters about that zoning change protested, that wasn’t the case with another zoning change council approved Tuesday. The 14.1 acres north of the intersection of Faudree Road and Fairway Drive is also planned by Lee’s Leeco Properties.

Of the 23 notices mailed out for the zoning change from “multi-family-two” to “retail,” four protests were received along with three approvals.

Residents wrote that the construction would present a traffic nuisance, cause a safety hazard and devalue homes.

“Traffic on Faudree has crash the fence already several times and I don’t want one in the pool with me in it,” quote cq  Sam Ares wrote.

Ahsutosh Rastogi wrote that he favors the development.

“It will allow more diverse growth opportunities on Faudree Road,” he wrote.

Khoury said that much of the traffic concern would be alleviated once Faudree is expanded to four lanes.

And Councilman James Goates pointed out that there would actually be fewer people using the retail complex than would have lived there if apartments were built on the site.

“Unfortunately, we live in Odessa, Texas, and if you have a five-lane road, you’re going to have traffic,” he said. “But if you lived in Dallas, you’d really know what traffic is.”

Council also gave first approval to W.F.D.R. for original zoning of retail one for 50.1 acres northeast of the intersection of Faudree Road and Dorado Drive. Khoury said no decision had been made on what to build there.

They also approved the purchase of a total of 78 golf carts for Ratliff Ranch Golf Course for $290,033. Steve Patton, city parks director, said the purchase could save the city $21,000 over leasing carts, which it had been doing.

“This is a good deal,” Goates said. “It is better to purchase than it is to lease.”

The money will come from the city’s equipment services fund.

The meeting ended with a colorful speech by Michael Roberts, who was appealing the city’s condemnation of his greenhouse. He passed out pieces of redwood, which he said the structure is made of, to each councilman to point out its strength as a reason the building shouldn’t be condemned.

“Termites and wasps hate this redwood more than George Herbert Walker Bush hates broccoli,” Roberts said.

In other action, council approved:

>> A $100,000 agreement with Timo Creative of Burleson for hotel-motel tax funds to go toward advertising and marketing for Ratliff Ranch.

>> New vehicle purchases of: two street sweepers for a total of $360,837, five Pak-Mor refuse collection trucks for $353,100, 16 police package vehicles for $331,146 and 13 heavy haul trucks $849,319.

>> Annual supply contracts for parts for refuse trucks for $324,921, automotive and light trucks for $106,000 and freightliner parts for $75,000.

>> An agreement for the Odessa Development Corp. to award up to $50,000 to provide training grants to local companies in manufacturing, fabrication and distribution fields.

>> The extension of an agreement with Gemstar Inc. that will give it another year to add 10 more employees at its fabrication facility at 6501 Trunk St. ODC awarded the company $100,000 in March 2008, but the company says it has delayed hiring on the construction of a $1 million furnace for heat-treating because of setbacks in construction.

> Appropriating funding for a $585,091 weatherization grant from the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs.

>> A $63,295 bid for traffic signs.

>> Renewing Mueller Inc., Odessa Country Club and ARCO industrial districts.

>> Second and final approval for adding “health and sanitation” to the city code of ordinance “municipal setting designation.”

>> Renewing long-term disability insurance for $91,000, stop loss insurance for $325,000, group life/AD&D and retiree life insurance for $160,000 and property insurance for $180,426.

>> Amending the city’s “offenses and nuisances” rules to allow for provisions for paintball guns and supervised paintball courses.

>> Naming Don Loving as electrical contractor for the building board of appeals. The move completes the new board.