Planning board backs mini‑storage rezoning near New Salem Road; conditions include screening and five‑year vesting

The Union County Planning Board recommended approval Tuesday of a conditional rezoning to allow a light‑industrial mini‑storage facility on roughly 2.5 acres along New Salem Road, after the applicant described site layout and staff outlined conditions intended to limit impacts on neighboring residential parcels.

Staff described the site as constrained by overhead transmission lines and by frontage on two roads, and noted two existing commercial properties across the highway; for those reasons staff said the property is a poor fit for traditional residential development and recommended approval despite a technical inconsistency with the county’s rural residential land‑use designation. The proposed use would be indoor storage only; the site plan prohibits outdoor storage and requires an opaque, six‑foot fence along the property line adjacent to the future residential subdivision. The applicant agreed to consolidate the parcels and to a five‑year vesting period.

Applicant and project details Applicant Terry Stevens (owner/operator of nearby Christian’s Corners convenience store, as he disclosed) said the site plan shows two rows of storage buildings with internal circulation and stormwater basins; the proposed driveway location was placed as far from the intersection as feasible to reduce intersection conflicts. Stevens told the board the facility would be gated and would have restricted hours; management and rental would be handled locally at the adjacent business.

Board discussion and decision Board members asked about security, lighting and gate hours. Staff said the site must meet the county’s lighting and access standards and that the conditional site plan prohibits outdoor storage; the proposed six‑foot fence and enhanced buffer on the property’s south and northwest sides were specifically added after a community meeting. Following discussion a board member moved to recommend approval with the stated conditions; the motion was seconded and the board voted in favor. Staff will forward the recommendation to the Board of Commissioners for final action and the applicant’s materials will be part of that record.

Why it matters: The request is small in scale compared with other items the board heard and was framed by staff as a potentially appropriate commercial use given the site’s power‑line constraint, existing nearby commercial uses and the low traffic generation of indoor storage. The planning board’s recommendation does not itself change zoning; the Board of Commissioners will take the final vote.