Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Zoning Residential To Commercial topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commissioners approve rezoning, conditional use for 20,000 sq. ft. Aldi on Brown Bridge Road
Summary
The Newton County Board of Commissioners voted to rezone two parcels on Brown Bridge Road to general commercial and approved a conditional use permit for a 20,000-square-foot Aldi grocery store, subject to staff-recommended conditions addressing access, materials and buffers.
The Newton County Board of Commissioners on April 1 approved rezoning two parcels on Brown Bridge Road and granted a conditional use permit for a 20,000-square-foot Aldi grocery retail store.
Planning staff told the board the parcels total about 3.344 acres (2.3 and 1.044 acres), are in the Salem overlay Tier 3 and the Yellow River watershed, and that the proposed general commercial zoning is consistent with the county’s 2023 comprehensive plan for the site. Shaina Applewhite, director of Planning and Zoning, said the applicant intends to use an existing internal drive and a right-in/right-out on Brown Bridge Road to address traffic concerns and that the project would follow Salem overlay design and landscaping rules when the land‑disturbance permit is submitted.
Applicant representative John Queen said the design changes followed town-hall feedback and that the plan adds a right-in/right-out entrance and internal connection to the signalized drive at the nearby Walmart. “We took that feedback and went back to the drawing board and came up with a new site plan,” Queen said.
Commissioners and staff discussed landscaping and enforcement; Applewhite said the packet included only a concept plan and that a detailed landscaping plan will be required and reviewed when the land-disturbance permit is submitted. The board attached standard staff conditions, including requirements for ingress/egress approved by the county transportation engineer, interparcel connectivity where feasible, prohibited overnight parking of commercial vehicles, exterior material and color requirements consistent with the Salem overlay, required stormwater and site approvals, and a right‑in/right‑out for the Brown Bridge Road entrance.
Commissioner Mason moved approval of REZ24-000011 with recommended staff conditions; the motion carried. The companion conditional-use petition, CUP24-000013, to operate a 20,000-square-foot grocery retail establishment, was then approved with the staff-recommended conditions that include fire marshal inspections, environmental health approvals and the same right‑in/right‑out access restriction.
The approvals are conditional: the applicant must obtain required permits and submit detailed site plans, stormwater plans and landscaping to Development Services and other reviewing agencies before construction or business license issuance. Applewhite flagged that rooftop and exterior-material specifications and the final landscaping will be reviewed as part of those subsequent approvals.
Planning staff also noted the project sits in the Salem overlay and that architectural and exterior finish standards will be enforced at plan review; where the board’s conditions conflict with a letter of intent from the applicant, the board’s conditions will control.
If built, the store would be located adjacent to existing commercial uses including Walmart and Zaxby’s and will use an extended internal drive to connect to the existing signalized intersection.
