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Council rezones Ninth Avenue parcel to Office-Institutional for proposed medical office
Summary
The Hickory City Council unanimously approved rezoning petition 2501 on March 18 to change the zoning of a parcel at 20920 Ninth Avenue NE from R-2 residential to Office-Institutional, a change staff and the planning commission said is consistent with the comprehensive plan.
The Hickory City Council unanimously approved rezoning petition 2501 on March 18 to change the zoning of a parcel at 20920 Ninth Avenue Northeast from R-2 residential to Office-Institutional (O&I), clearing the way for a proposed medical-office use.
City Planning Director Bridal Frazier said the property is adjacent to existing O&I zoning and that the petition aligns with the city’s comprehensive plan, Hickory by Choice, and the land-development code. Frazier said the planning commission held a public hearing on Feb. 26 and voted unanimously to recommend approval; at that hearing only the owner spoke in favor and no citizens spoke in opposition.
Frazier described the parcel’s context near Bell Hollow Shopping, Publix and other professional offices and said the area has undergone recent commercial and high-density residential development. He told council the parcel is located on a major thoroughfare and “is immediately adjacent to an existing office,” which supported the rezoning to O&I rather than continued residential use.
A council member asked whether stormwater regulations would apply if the property is paved for parking. Frazier replied that because the project appears to be under an acre, “Phase 2 does not apply,” and that staff had not seen definitive plans; he said staff would examine stormwater and parking when specific plans are submitted. Frazier also said the applicant described the intended use as a relatively low-traffic medical office (physical therapy and licensed massage therapy were mentioned) and that planning staff would review access and parking during site plan review and any required DOT access review.
No members of the public spoke at the council hearing on the rezoning. A motion to approve petition 2501 was made, seconded and carried unanimously; the names of the motion maker and seconder and individual roll-call votes were not specified in the meeting record.
Future permitting, stormwater review and access approvals will be handled in subsequent development-review steps.
