Published: May 11, 2008 02:51 am         

Final public hearings, votes set on industrial annexation

GREENVILLE — Final public hearings are scheduled Tuesday, prior to the Greenville City Council voting on whether to approve an annexation which would allow for the local Newell Rubbermaid plant to expand its operations.

The company is wanting to add a major warehouse and distribution facility near the intersection of Farm-To-Market Road 1570 and State Highway 66, directly behind the current plant. The new building would replace an existing operation in Mesquite and would also require a change in zoning for the site from agricultural to light industrial.

The Council is scheduled to conduct public hearings regarding both the annexation and the zoning change, before taking final votes, during Tuesday’s regular session, starting at 6 p.m. in the Municipal Building, 2821 Wesley Street.

Developers had asked for a voluntary annexation of approximately 77 acres near the Greenville Industrial Park along the east side of FM 1570 where Newell Rubbermaid intends to construct the warehouse and distribution facility, covering 500,000 square feet.

Company officials have said the addition of the warehouse is designed to help consolidate the company’s Texas operations and reduce transportation costs, as the products made in the Greenville plant are currently shipped to a Mesquite facility for storage prior to distribution.

The company has longer-range plans to come up with a way to ship the manufactured products from the local plant directly to the warehouse.

The City Council agreed earlier this year to accept the voluntary annexation petition, which started the annexation process. The Planning and Zoning Commission conducted public hearings in April and then voted to recommend approval of both the annexation and zoning change.