A Texas-based energy services company with a significant existing workforce in Northwest Louisiana is seeking to establish a permanent regional operations center in Caddo Parish.
Muholland Energy is behind a proposed development on approximately 4.55 acres along Paxton Road that would include a regional corporate office and service center, company truck parking, repair operations and temporary housing for employees, according to documents filed with the Caddo Parish Planning and Zoning Commission.
The project took its latest step forward Thursday when the Caddo Parish Commission formally introduced Ordinance 6643, which would rezone the property from R-A Rural Agricultural to I-1 Light Industrial Small Planned Unit Development.
The property is located on the southeast side of Paxton Road, approximately 1,650 feet south of East McCarey Street in Commission District 10.
The ordinance was introduced by title during the Sept. 17 Commission meeting without discussion or a vote on final passage. It must still move through the parish ordinance process before the rezoning can become final.
Documents from the zoning process show Muholland already has a sizable presence in the region.
During an Aug. 26 Planning and Zoning Commission hearing, a company representative said Muholland employs more than 700 people overall, including approximately 170 employees locally. The company operates more than 500 vacuum trucks, including approximately 75 locally, according to information presented during the hearing.
Company representatives said Muholland entered the local market approximately five years ago and is now seeking to establish a permanent regional presence.
Plans presented during the zoning process call for a self-contained operation on the Paxton Road property, including office and service functions, truck parking and repair operations. Temporary employee housing is also proposed for workers assigned to the area for limited periods, generally about three weeks at a time.
The Caddo Parish Planning and Zoning Commission voted 6-0 to recommend approval of the rezoning following its Aug. 26 hearing. No opposition to the request was recorded at the meeting.
The Parish Commission advanced the ordinance from its Sept. 14 work session before formally introducing it by title Thursday.
Final approval of the rezoning would clear the way for Muholland to establish a permanent Caddo Parish base for an operation that company representatives say already employs approximately 170 people locally.