The Aubrey City Council has moved forward with the application to make the Peanut Dryer an individual historic landmark.
The historic preservation board recommended the move, which Aubrey Mayor Chris Rich said he was grateful to have move forward.
'We've been trying for years to protect that thing,' he said. 'It took us a while to acquire it, so this is the logical final step to protect it.'
The council also unanimously denied a request from Wynn McGregor to remove 21.822 acres from the city's extraterritorial jurisdiction.
City Manager Charles Kreidler specified that the submission did not meet the legal definition of a petition.
'I move that the petition from Wynn McGregor to remove an approximate 21.822 acres of land … be denied for the following reasons,' council member Erin Allen said. 'One, the petition does not meet the requirements of Chapter 42 of the Texas local government code for an ETJ release petition, and two, alternatively, Senate Bill 2038, local government code sections 42.104 and 42.105 are an unconstitutional delegation of legislative authority and conflict with local government code Section 42.023, and three, the city does not consent to remove the property from its ETJ.'
Code Compliance Officer Daniel Salazar proposed different ways the city could address open outdoor storage, which could vary from a minor inconvenience to a public danger.
Salazar recommended an ordinance change that would eliminate open storage outside if it can be seen from the public right of way.
'It will improve the safety, cleanliness and development of the city,' he said. 'It attracts tourism and business activity. It encourages responsible property maintenance.'
Resident William Cherry asked the council to take a more measured approach.
'In the neighborhood that I live in, it's very unusual for the houses to have garages, and in an old country town like Aubrey it's very natural to store certain items up on people's back porches, in their unenclosed carports,' he said. '… An ordinance like this puts an undue burden on those of us that live in subdivisions [like mine].'
The council tabled the proposed change to allow staff time to research additional options.
Erin Allen, left, accepts the street sign commemorating her time on the Aubrey City Council from Mayor Chris Rich during the city’s council meeting on April 24. Abigail Allen/The Post-Signal
