Stonecrest council approves rezoning for Coffee Road parcels, limits future use to distribution

The Stonecrest City Council on May 29 approved ordinance RZ24-005, rezoning two vacant parcels at 1810 Coffee Road and 6821 Stonecrest Industrial Way from M-2 (heavy industrial) to M-1 (light industrial) and adding a condition limiting the property’s use to distribution.

The rezoning was presented by city planning staff, who said the applicant seeks the change so the parcels can be combined with an adjacent PepsiCo-owned parcel and used for a small-scale distribution facility. Planning staff recommended conditional approval and noted the applicant’s survey shows wooded lots and the presence of a wetland on the property.

Attorney Josh Mahoney, representing the applicant, told the council the owner intends to consolidate the parcels with the nearby PepsiCo parcel and “consolidate this parcel, these two parcels with that Pepsi building parcel.” Mahoney said his client agreed to the seven conditions proposed by staff but would not, at first, contractually limit future tenants to distribution only.

Council members questioned how the property would be used, how combining parcels would work, and whether a binding commitment to distribution was appropriate. Planning staff summarized the conditions recommended for approval, which prohibit truck parking as a primary or accessory use; recovered-materials facilities and recycling plants; towing and wrecker services; and vehicle storage yards. A member of the public asked about compliance monitoring, truck counts, environmental impacts and potential crime effects during the planning process.

After debate, the council first tabled the item for additional discussion and later returned to it. A motion to defer the ordinance to the next council meeting failed. A subsequent motion to approve the rezoning with only the seven staff conditions also failed. Councilwoman Tara Graves then moved to approve with an eighth condition restricting the site to distribution use; the motion passed 4–1. The council clerk recorded the final outcome as approved with the added condition limiting use to distribution and with the site to be developed in conformity with the site plan shown at the May 29 hearing.

The ordinance and conditions will be enforceable through the city’s permitting and code-enforcement processes; any development must still obtain required permits and satisfy site-plan and permitting review. Planning staff noted the applicant had not identified a tenant and that the proposed building was smaller in scale than the adjacent PepsiCo facility.

Council action changes the zoning designation for tax parcel IDs 1613202002 and 1613202008 and authorizes the city to move forward with permitting and zoning record updates under the new M-1 classification.