Planning and Zoning recommends Home Depot conditional use permit for outdoor storage on South Hanley Road

The Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously to recommend approval of a conditional use permit allowing outdoor storage of equipment at the Home Depot site along South Hanley Road. Commissioners approved the recommendation after the applicant revised the site plan to move storage spaces away from the road and to remove display trailers that conflicted with a required fire lane.

Commission staff said the applicant responded to concerns raised at the February 12 meeting by relocating display and storage spaces to the north of the property, behind the McDonald’s, and adding 26 spaces to the north area to keep equipment and large trucks away from the primary frontage. The staff report said the revised drawings were consistent with comments provided at the prior meeting and with planning review of landscaping.

Andrew Gribble of Kimley Horn and Associates, who identified himself for the record, described the changes during the meeting: “we ended up moving the spaces to the north behind McDonald’s…that’s where we ended up moving everything to there.” Gribble also said the green‑hatched trailer display area previously approved will be removed to accommodate the fire lane.

Commission discussion focused on clarity in the plan notes and confirmation that five trailer/display spaces adjacent to the north wall of the building would be removed. Commissioners asked staff to revise permit notes to make the removal clear. One commissioner who had earlier raised questions said their concerns were answered after the revisions.

A motion to recommend approval — recorded in the meeting as: “I move to recommend approval of the amendments, the conditional use permits to allow for outdoor storage of equipment along South Hanley Road as shown in the plans discussed today at this meeting with the additional clarification of the filing clearance to the north side of the building” — passed unanimously. The commission directed that the plan note be clarified to show the five spaces removed for the fire lane. The commission’s recommendation will be forwarded to the Board of Aldermen; the clerk noted the item is scheduled for the April 7 meeting.

Background: Staff reminded the commission that the earlier application had proposed storage near the primary frontage and the commission asked at the February 12 meeting that storage be reconfigured to be less visible and more consistent with the comprehensive plan and zoning code requirements. The applicant’s revisions were presented in response to those directions.

The commission’s action is a recommendation to the Board of Aldermen; final approval will be determined at that board’s public hearing.