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The City of McAllen is hoping to rezone nearly a hundred acres of city property for a software company’s business campus.
Zoho, a software company based in India, has worked out of the McAllen Creative Incubator space since May, but it has been trying to build a “self-sustaining” campus in the city since last year. The company, which was not named during initial public discussions, was revealed during a tense town hall two weeks ago between residents and city staff.
Zoho wants to become a part of the Rio Grande Valley community, according to its company plan, noting the campus would be in character with McAllen architecture and include an orchard and farm. The company’s reasoning for developing in the Valley is to keep “talent” local, to prevent people from moving to larger metros.
But residents are concerned how the development would displace the hundreds of native and migrating bird and animal species that frequent the area, along with the flora. That area, a park known as both Green Jay Park and the McAllen Disc Golf Course, is frequented by disc golfers and birders year-round.
“With the development that's going to happen, if the city goes forward with it, all of that will be lost,” Victoria Guerra, an environmental activist and resident of McAllen said. “The trees will be gone, all of the wildlife will be displaced or killed. And we're losing an important green space in the city of McAllen.”
The area also lies in a FEMA-designated floodplain. The park overflows with water onto Ware Road during severe rain. Residents of the Balboa Acres community immediately southwest of the park are concerned that the flooding will get worse if the campus is built.
The upper portion of Lake Concepcion, which lies in the northern edge of the park along Neuhaus Road, dried last year after a large algae bloom. The lakebed is now nearly indistinguishable from the vegetation that is around the park. Without the water, the park is hotter, and there’s less wildlife. Residents believe the city let Lake Concepcion dry, preparing for a future development.
The City of McAllen denies that the area is a park, despite the city’s parks and recreation department identifying the space as a park and official city signage. Assistant City Manager Michelle Rivera said during last week's town hall that the area was purchased by the city with the intent to eventually develop the area.
Residents at the town hall pushed back at this notion, pointing to the city's involvement in developing the course in 2015.
Since March, residents near the park have opposed the development. City officials tried to rezone the park from agricultural to light industrial in April. The ensuing community backlash made officials withdraw their request.
Residents are confused by the city’s actions, as reducing park space would be counterintuitive to the Parks Master Plan.
The City of McAllen’s 2018-2028 Parks Master Plan says the city will be deficient in park space by at least 882 acres by 2025, according to the National Parks and Recreation Association standards. That’s more acreage than Central Park in New York City. Further, in the city’s draft comprehensive plan for 2040, the city notes that residents want more environmental justice and more green space in the future.
The City of McAllen declined to comment on the issue, saying it was waiting until city commissioners had the chance to decide.
Zoho’s McAllen office manager, Tejas Gadhia, said in a statement to TPR that “nothing is final yet” regarding the campus and its location in McAllen.
“We are excited about the potential to deepen our roots and expand our operations in McAllen in a way that benefits the entire community,” Gadhia said. “We will continue to work with the city to ensure that any development is in the best interests of everyone involved."
When asked whether Zoho was considering studies into the park land or how the park may be conveyed to the company, a spokesperson said they could not comment, as they did not know.
Guerra said her and other McAllen residents are planning to attend the city’s Planning and Zoning Board meeting on Wednesday, continuing to voice their opposition to the development.
But she believed the city has already made up its mind and is engaging in “spot zoning,” or the unjustified rezoning of a particular area of land in opposition to city plans or zoning regulations.
“We're going to show up again, but this time it seems like it's a done deal,” Guerra said. “Which is absurd to me because nobody wants it. But yet the city's forging ahead with it. It's not right.”
The City of McAllen’s Planning and Zoning Board will meet on Wednesday, July 12, at 5 p.m. at McAllen City Hall.
