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July 24, 2008

Groves businessman withdraws laydown yard request

By Darragh Doiron





GROVES —Businessman Steve Nguyen has withdrawn a request to rezone a Groves area to become a refinery laydown yard, just as city officials braced themselves for a round of hearings on the matter.

“I think it’s a good thing,” D.E. Sosa, Groves city manager, said about the withdrawal.

He said the decision shows the character of Nguyen and is an example of putting the city’s peace and dignity over a business decision. He cited recent similar incidents in which business men withdrew requests to build a hotel and an RV park after neighbors opposed development.

Nguyen said unhappy residents didn’t fit in with his “business vision.”

“I’m a business man in the area. I’d do anything for community. For community, I don’t mind to do it,” Nguyen said.

Groves City Council had set a joint public hearing on rezoning the area of a 6.095-acre tract of the PALCO addition from single family residential to C-2 general light commercial district. Woodcrest Baptist Church sold some of its land and Nguyen had requested the rezoning for Becthel Motiva to develop a laydown yard.

Groves Mayor Brad Bailey said he hadn’t spoken to anyone who was happy about the yard. Groves residents in the Pure Atlantic Highway area recently attended several public hearings protesting TOTAL Petrochemicals’ request to build a laydown yard. The request was modified to create a specific use parking area to accommodate an influx of workers for refinery expansion.

Contact this reporter at ddoiron@panews.com.

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