CYPRESS : Two Warehouses OKd Amid Protests

After an often tense, six-hour meeting, the City Council early Tuesday unanimously approved two more commercial warehouse projects.

“They are quality, quality, quality,” said Mayor Cecilia L. Age, speaking about the developer of the two projects.

The vote, however, further angered many south Cypress residents. They have launched both a lawsuit and a recall petition because of unhappiness over an earlier south Cypress warehouse decision by the council. That controversial project, approved Sept. 26, calls for a 439,650-square-foot carpet distribution warehouse at 11400 Valley View St.

The two new projects approved by the council call for a 96,000 square-foot sporting goods distribution warehouse at 11130 Warland Drive and a 25,900-square-foot office-warehouse at 11160 Warland Drive. Both are near Valley View Street, where homeowners have been protesting warehouse development.

One citizens’ group, the Cypress Recall Committee, has for months been working for a recall election to oust Age and Councilwoman Gail H. Kerry because of their Sept. 26 vote for the carpet warehouse.

Two new council members--Mary Ann Jones and Tom Carroll--were elected Nov. 8. Many south Cypress residents had said they hoped Jones and Carroll would side with them and oppose large warehouses near Valley View Street. Jones and Carroll, however, supported both new projects at the Monday night council meeting, which extended until almost 2 a.m. Tuesday.

Both new warehouse projects were proposed by the Cypress Land Co. Brian Harvey, an official of the company, told residents that his firm has no connection with the controversial carpet warehouse. “We are separate landowners,” Harvey said.

Many residents, however, said they were unhappy and testified before the council that development is out of hand in south Cypress.