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County To Decide Future Of New Crude Oil Transfer Station In Walnut Hill
May 13, 2012
This week, Escambia County will consider a rezoning request for property in Walnut Hill where an energy company proposes to build a crude oil transfer station that could mean about 30 new high paying jobs.
Genesis Rail Systems, LLC wants to build the facility on 20 acres off Corley Road, near Arthur Brown Road. The property was chosen because it is at the intersection of an existing crude oil pipeline and the Alabama & Gulf Coast Railway.
Information that will be presented to the Escambia County Planning Board Monday finds that a request to rezone the property from “village agricultural” to “general industrial” is not consistent with the Escambia County Comprehensive Plan and the Land Development Code. The current “village agricultural” zoning for the property off Corley Road allows five residences per 100 acres, agricultural or small home-based business use.
A preliminary county report says that the oil transfer station rezoning will also not be compatible with surrounding properties — most of which are agricultural with two nearby single family dwellings. Also, the proposed land use amendment would not result in a logical and orderly development pattern, according to county documents to be considered.
But that not necessarily mean the county will not approve the rezoning request.
“Although a change to an Industrial zoning would be a more intensive use than is currently in the area, the proposed amendment will utilize the existing railroad, which is a corridor for economic development within the county,” the county planning agency documents state. “There are code requirements that could be implemented such as intense buffering and screening to minimize the possibility of any adverse effects upon adjacent properties.”
If the transfer station is built, crude oil will be shipped in rail tanker cars from the north — including oil fields in Monroe and Escambia counties in Alabama — and be offloaded at the Walnut Hill facility into a 100,000 barrel storage tank before being injected into the existing Genesis pipeline for transport to refineries along the Gulf Coast.
According to project plans, the facility will create 25-30 or more well paying full time jobs in the community, plus positive economic impacts from constructions and ongoing expenditures.
Plan drawings for the facility show that the large crude oil storage tank will be surrounded by a lined containment area designed to catch storm water runoff and, in a worse case scenario, any leak, preventing any contamination to the surrounding area. The facility will also include the pumping equipment, a 1,500 square foot administration building and a 45-space gravel parking lot.
To support the planned oil transfer station, the Alabama & Gulf Coast Railway is currently constructing an additional rail spur parallel to tracks that run along Corley Road from Arthur Brown Road.
The Escambia County Planning Board will consider the rezoning request during an 8:30 a.m. meeting Monday at the Escambia County Central Office Complex, Room 104, at 3363 West Park Place in Pensacola. And then Thursday, the Escambia County Commission is set to review and adopt, modify or overturn the Planning Board’s recommendation on the rezoning request.
Pictured above: Property off Corley Road in Walnut Hill were a company wants to build a crude oil transfer station. Pictured top inset: A rezoning hearing public notice posted alongside Corley Road. Pictured bottom inset: Alabama & Gulf Coast Railway is already working to install new track. Pictured below: Plans for the facility. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Comments
16 Responses to “County To Decide Future Of New Crude Oil Transfer Station In Walnut Hill”
Yesterday I couldn’t spell engineer. Today I R 1.
But seriously, can anyone predict the economic impact? It is truely hard to say. But I do know that it couldn’t hurt.
REGARDING:
“You must be one of those I R 1 engineers.”
You, too, can be an engineer. All it takes is math, science, work and good looks.
David considering xenophobia and jealousy
Re: REGARDING
Infoulable logic. If we get more employed outsiders to come take our new jobs, the unemployment rate would plummet.
You must be one of those I R 1 engineers.
REGARDING:
jobs, yeah right
“Well paying jobs will be for people the company brings in not locals.”
True, but after thirty years — well, okay, forty years — those invaders will be locals and any children born at least five years after their invasion will be locals automatically. Further, there are SOME jobs even locals are smart enough and experienced enough to do already. Add to that the thought that some who had to leave to earn livings may come back to take those jobs.
In the mean time, those newbies will be spending their money locally — so the benefits might even reach the rest of the community.
David for the long view
I understand there is a well near the Poplar Dell area, it is a producing well or an old one they are trying to drill again? That would be great for the area of century
This is one time Walnut Hill residents need to start sending those E mails out to
Gov Scott, Mr Evers and Miller. I will send some myself.
This future of Walnut Hill is too serious a matter, to be left to our commissioners.
Well paying jobs will be for people the company brings in not locals.
This country better be thinking about assisting in the oil business because we CANNOT KEEP DEPENDING ON FOREIGN COUNTRIES FOR OUR OIL./GAS.
The worse thing this county ever did was put the zoning plans into place that we have now. We cannot allow our children/grandchildren to build on our own land anymore,maybe two or three but no more. This zoning was brought on by people in office (and I knew them) that was not from this area, knew nothing about farmland or country living so they proposed this and it was adopted. That was because people implementing this had never lived in a rural area and moved here from some northern state but will not call any names but THAT IS WHAT HAPPENED. I wish I didn’t own any property in Escambia County because of this law that was enacted a few years back. Now they will try to block this new project up our way.
West of the five ton rated bridge on Arthur Brown Road but could reach it from other directions or the county could bring the bridge up to standards.
@ sister, yes several of the wells in the Jay and Century area are still producing. They have been constantly reworking wells in this area for over a year now and I’ve heard they are going to drill at least one or maybe two new wells in the Wiggins lake field this year. The pipeline they want to offload the rail cars into carries oil from the Jay plant to Mobile.
NEED the jobs!
NEED the Oil!
NEED The Property upgraded!
NEED The red tape handled!
NEED the facility built to code and maintained!
Whats the problem!!!
If the tanks leak like gas stations ……
I personally would want to know a whole lot more about what this would mean to
the surrounding area. Oil is a very dirty business and while 30 high paying jobs
would be nice for 30 people there are a whole lot more people than that this would involve, it just might not be that good for all. I’m for industry every time when the whole town benefits and the neighbors know what exactly is going to happen to them, their living and their immediately environment. Environmentally this could be devastating to agri land, even to small ranches and large yards as many of my
neighbors grow their own food and that of some of their relatives.
I don’t know …. Need more info before I want to bring down DIRTY industry on all my neighbors for 30 jobs.
does anyone know if any of the wells in the century/jay area are producing? I knew they were drilling again
I am sure once the new board of commissioners are sworn in and seated, they
willl make the necessary changes and bring this project online.
I vote for the change in zoning. Please let them build the facility. We are talking about 30 high paying jobs.
I am in favor of this. It will bring in decent paying jobs with the potential of future growth. Hopefully the county commissioners will not mess this one up.