CVCAA Pauses Rock Rose Community Campus at Gas Plant Road After Heated Opposition

SAN ANGELO, TX — The Concho Valley Community Action Agency announced Wednesday it is pausing development of the proposed Rock Rose Community Campus at the Gas Plant Road property, saying the current location has become “untenable.”

In a lengthy statement posted to the project’s Facebook page, CVCAA Executive Director Mike Burnett cited a combination of factors, including online misinformation and intensifying public debate that had shifted focus “away from solutions and toward conflict.”

The announcement came less than 24 hours after a contentious San Angelo City Council meeting where nearby residents delivered pointed public comment opposing the project. 

Resident Kayla Hood told the council she moved to San Angelo in 2013 and has a long background in nonprofit and child welfare work. She said she is strongly opposed to the location and scale of the campus.

Hood claimed the project would span 112 acres, making it the largest of its kind in Texas and the second-largest in the United States after Austin’s Community First Village. She compared it to other facilities, noting the planned Dallas Salvation Army campus is 21 acres, Skid Row in Los Angeles is roughly 30 acres combined, and Haven for Hope in San Antonio is 22 acres. 

She accused Burnett of providing false information about partnerships, saying she personally contacted many of the organizations listed and was told no formal commitments existed. She also said she contacted Shannon Medical Center and was told there was no agreement for on-site medical services. 

Her husband, Will Hood, continued the opposition. He said several logos of claimed partners — including the Tom Green County Sheriff’s Department, San Angelo Fire Department, and West Texas Rehab — were used without authorization and have since been removed from the project’s materials. He also questioned the need for security on the campus, saying ranking officers with the San Angelo Police Department and Tom Green County Sheriff’s Office had expressed serious concerns when he spoke with them. 

Steve Burns, who has lived for more than 50 years near the area approximately 350 yards from the proposed site, said he was never notified about the project despite his property being directly affected. He described the neighborhood as an established mix of young families, working people, business owners, and retirees, with a long-running daycare located immediately across the street. 

Burns opposed both the location and the scale, warning of potential increases in crime, safety issues, and declining property values. He urged the city to start any such project more modestly and on city-owned land away from established neighborhoods. 

In its Wednesday statement, CVCAA acknowledged growing community concerns and said public discussion is important for a project of this size. However, the agency stated that much of the conversation has been shaped by information that “lacks context, misrepresents the project, or does not reflect the facts.”

CVCAA said it mailed information directly to adjacent property owners prior to rezoning discussions and maintained that it has worked to communicate transparently. The agency emphasized that pausing development does not mean abandoning its mission.

“As it is, the reality remains unchanged: San Angelo is facing a growing housing and homelessness challenge,” the statement said. “We remain committed to serving low-income households, ALICE families, and individuals experiencing homelessness. That commitment is not changing.”

The roughly $30 million Rock Rose project had previously received unanimous support from the San Angelo City Council in June 2025. It was envisioned as a regional hub offering transitional and permanent supportive housing, case management, healthcare access, job training, and other services, with an expected reach of 12,000 to 14,000 people annually across an 11-county area.

CVCAA said it will now evaluate the best path forward while continuing to listen to community input.