By C.J. Vetter
BUDA - A national gas company is making its way to Buda.
At their council meeting on June 7, Buda approved a Specific Use Permit (SUP) for an outside storage area for Airgas, a liquid air company. Airgas is a leading provider of industrial, medical and specialty gases in America, alongside providing welding supplies and safety products.
The facility allowed for by the permit would be in a strategic place to help serve the medical and industrial needs of not only Buda, but also Austin and San Antonio as the property is located on Trailmark Drive and right off of I-35. Airgas estimates that the facility would generate $1,750,000 in annual sales tax revenue for the city and would also offer a localized supply of modern gas and welding supplies to local industries and businesses. The storage tanks on site would mostly contain medical oxygen and other commercial gases.
“It’s a 65,000 square foot building, and what the code requires is that if you're going to have outside storage, it has to be 10% or less of the building footprint,” said Will Parrish, Buda Senior Planner. “Their request is for 5.36%, which is well below that 10% maximum. The site plan also meets the parking, lighting, landscaping and other requirements.”
The storage side of the facility will also be blocked from sight with concrete walls and a metal gate, keeping the industrial storage out of sight for those driving by. Additionally, Airgas alerted neighboring businesses and placed up a sign for its business, but no letters of complaint were received. The Planning and Zoning Commission of Buda approved the SUP in a 6 - 0 vote. Those that reviewed the plan included the Buda Fire Department, who inspected the plans for safety concerns.
“The outside storage was approved with the site plan review, so the fire marshal reviews the site plan review, not specifically the SUP. The outdoor storage was shown on the site plan, and that was reviewed by all departments,” Parrish said.
For more information, or to view the products and services offered by Airgas, you can visit Airgas.com.
