BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – Residents near 512 Cross Road in Brevard County have decided to look at legal options to stop the Ideal Gas Company from building two 30,000 gallon above-ground liquid propane tanks in their neighborhood.
Residents told News 6 the site plans approved by county commissioners in March 2021 were never presented to residents.
“It’s in a residential area for crying out loud,” 7-year resident Rick Niewoehner said. “I don’t know what they were thinking.”
Melinda Smith, a retired NASA employee, told News 6 she has lived in the Vanguard Estates neighborhood for 10 years and cannot believe the huge propane tanks will be a few hundred feet from her front door.
“This was supposed to be my retirement home,” she said. “And now I have a time bomb right next door.”
According to Brevard County records, the land — about 1 ½ acres — has been zoned for “light industrial” use since Sept. 4, 1958.
Ideal Gas Company of St. Augustine submitted site plans for the Cross Road location in February 2021.
The plans were approved for preliminary construction the following month.
Work started on the project in May of this year.
News 6 reviewed the county’s light industrial ordinance and noted a potential conflict.
The ordinance in part reads: NO SHIPPING OR RECEIVING OF GOODS SHALL BE PERMITTED WITHIN 100 FEET OF RESIDENTIALLY ZONED PROPERTY.
The site plans show the propane trucks will be traveling a few feet in front of the manufactured homes along Cross Road.
The road asphalt road is 21 feet wide, according to the site plans.
County spokesman Don Walker, while not addressing the ordinance language, stressed that the residents’ safety concerns had been addressed.
Walker wrote in part: “Planning & Development and Fire Prevention looked into resident concerns and found the approved site plan and supporting documents are code compliant. " He went on to say that the site plan allows the applicant to start site construction of the project’s infrastructure (stormwater, pavement, etc.). Site plan approval DOES NOT permit the installation of the propane tank. "
Robert Cunningham, a long-time resident on Cross Road, founded the Stop Ideal Gas Group after learning of the project.
He is convinced the county is skirting the neighborhood’s economic and safety concerns.
“There’s no way a real estate agent is going to say well, let’s go look at this one,” Cunningham said” It’s right across from 60,000 gallons of propane.”
Ideal Gas co-owner Michael Siegel told News 6 he was surprised by the residents’ reaction.
Siegel told News 6 the site was already zoned for what the company needed so it “seemed to be the perfect fit.”
When News 6 advised him of the safety and economic concerns, Siegel said his company would do whatever it could to ease those concerns including enhanced landscaping and safety sprinkler systems.
To date, Ideal Gas has submitted permits for a modular office, fence and gates and dumpster enclosure. No permit requests have been filed for construction of a propane tank.
“Based on this discussion, we’re going to undertake a further safety review and provide action above what the code requires us to do,” Siegel said.
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