Nearby residents and the Guthrie Planning Commission agree that the land on Walnut St. should not be rezoned for agriculture purposes. However, the city council is expected to have the final decision at Tuesday night’s council meeting.
The land, currently zoned as residential two (R-2), is located at the intersection of Mockingbird Dr. and N. Walnut Street, and owned by Guthrie Greenhouses. Related article: Planning commission agrees with neighbors on not rezoning agriculture for greenhouse company
Owners Jesse and Tara Tischauser are looking to add additional greenhouses on the east side of their property.
Tara Tischauser said they do not plan on growing marijuana, but bedding plants and vegetables.
“We can grow marijuana in the agriculture areas that we are in now. We’re not. That’s not our interest. We aren’t interested in the smell in the middle of town either. We don’t want the neighborhood to not like what we are doing. We don’t want to make it look ugly. That’s not our goal. Our goal is to expand our business a little bit more there and use our property.”
In the October planning commission meeting, a 2-1 was registered by the commissioners against rezoning the property due to the rezone having a negative impact to property values.
Ryan Codding says he wants Guthrie Greenhouses to be the best in the world but just in this neighborhood.
“I am all for the family having the greenhouses (being) profitable, bringing business and sales tax dollars into Guthrie. This (rezoning) is an all or nothing deal. If you tell them ‘we can rezone this to agricultural’ it automatically opens the doors to anything that is eligible to agriculture which does include greenhouses and growing marijuana,” Codding said.
The council meeting will begin at 7 p.m. on the second floor of City Hall. Guthrie News Page will carry the meeting live on Guthrie News Page Facebook Live.
I live about 300 ft from the property. I do not want it re-zoned as Agriculture due to the possibility of property values decreasing.