Salisbury Planning Board recommends rezoning that could allow 250,000-square-foot logistics center

SALISBURY — The Salisbury Planning Board recommended a rezoning during its meeting on Tuesday that would allow for a 250,000-square-foot logistics center on Grace Church Road.

The request was for an almost 33-acre property that currently lies outside of the city limits, but the applicant, Rocky Mount-based SJP Properties, has voluntarily asked for annexation into the city so that it can hook up to the city’s utility lines, said Senior Planner Victoria Bailiff. The property is located in the 400 and 500 blocks of Grace Church Road, just across from the UFP Industries building.

As the property is currently under Rowan County’s jurisdiction, it is listed as being zoned Commercial, Business or Industrial. The property owner was asking for Light Industrial zoning when it enters the city limits, which Bailiff said has the most in common with the county’s CBI district.

“The bigger picture in this whole thing is that we’re taking a hunk of Rowan County property and bringing it into Salisbury, not the ETJ, but into Salisbury proper. In doing so, we have to assign it something and it looks like LI is what meets their and the city’s needs best,” said Planning Board Chairman John Schaffer.

John Floyd, a Charlotte lawyer working with SJP Properties, said that the owners were asking for annexation to connect to the city’s sewer and water lines and noted that having the lines extended across the road could assist the property owners nearby. Floyd also showed the planning board a conceptual site plan.

The plan showed a 248,000-square-foot logistics center, titled the Grace Logistics Center, at the southern end of the property. Also included in the plans were two stormwater-management ponds. The part of the property that connects to the road would be utilized mainly for a long drive and for a tree-save area.

As the application was for simply a rezoning and not a conditional district, the presented site plans were only conceptual and the company is not required to follow them.

Many of the usages are the same between the county CBI and the city LI district. Both governments’ zoning ordinances state that the districts are aimed at increasing economic opportunities, with the CBI including commercial and business applications while the LI is aimed solely at light industrial or flex-spaces usages. LI does not allow for retail usages unless they are “clearly subordinate” to an allowed usage, such as a showroom.

After the discussion, the members of the planning board voted unanimously to recommend the approval of the rezoning request. The planning board’s decision is not final and the request will be presented to the Salisbury City Council at a future meeting for a final verdict.

Included in the approved consent agenda for the July 16 meeting was a resolution directing the city clerk to investigate the sufficiency of the petition filed by the applicant. The investigation is one of the first steps required by state law, and the city will also be required to hold a public hearing on the annexation request before the city council votes.

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