Galveston refinery ‘racing’ to buy Texas City greenbelt lots

​​TEXAS CITY – Marathon Galveston Bay Refinery and Eastman Chemical are buying several lots in the greenbelt area surrounding the industrial pocket of Texas City.

Texas City commissioners approved the purchase of 11 lots in total to both companies. The city had the land in trust.

Eastman intends to keep the lots as green space for the time being, but there may be a time in the future that the lots will be used to expand operations, Kristin Parker, a spokeswoman for Eastman Chemical, said.

The greenbelt area around the refineries emerged after the BP explosion in 2005, after the vote.

Those properties are all zoned for industrial purposes so there are few options to build on them other than expanding a plant or related construction.