Public hearing held on rezoning request to allow two‑story climate‑controlled self‑storage on Pace Road

The City of Hiram opened a public hearing on application 2024‑36‑Z, a request by Ajitm Patel to rezone 2.66 acres at the northwest intersection of Pace Court and Pace Road from B‑2 (Highway Business) to I‑1 (Light Industrial) for a proposed two‑story, nearly 50,000‑square‑foot climate‑controlled self‑storage facility with outdoor RV and boat parking.

Civil Logistics engineer David White presented the application on behalf of the owner. He said self‑storage was previously allowed in B‑2 but the city’s allowed‑uses list was changed so new self‑storage developments now require industrial zoning. White said the proposed facility is climate‑controlled, lacks loading docks and generates low traffic; he described an ITE trip‑generation estimate of about 36 vehicle trips per day and said sewage demand would be minimal because the site would have only one restroom group and one employee.

City staff summarized that the Paulding County Planning Commission recommended denial when it considered the case in November 2024. Staff identified four recommended stipulations should the council approve the rezoning: (1) final access to the development to be determined during plan review; (2) the developer must provide a traffic memo and coordinate methodology with Paulding County DOT; (3) the development would be subject to the corridor overlay district; and (4) the developer agrees to repair and maintain roads used to enter and exit the property.

White said the owner has held the property for several years and had earlier pursued a hotel on the site; neighbors immediately adjacent to the parcel were described as supportive, and staff noted that rezoning to I‑1 would require a 50‑foot planted buffer between industrial and residential uses that the speaker said would be an additional benefit to neighbors who now have no buffer.

Several council members and staff asked technical questions: how many storage units the building would contain (estimate provided of about 400 10‑by‑10 units after a rough calculation), whether RV parking would include a dump station (no), the length of RV spaces (upper spaces 30 feet, lower spaces 40 feet), and how long the owner has held the land (the representative said the owner purchased it before the COVID‑19 pandemic). The applicant’s representative confirmed the owner would accept the four stipulations recommended by staff.

The public hearing was opened for comment; no speakers opposed the application during the hearing and the mayor closed the hearing. The hearing record and staff packet remain the basis for any later council action; no final rezoning vote is recorded in the transcript.

Ending: The council heard the public testimony and staff recommendation; no final vote on application 2024‑36‑Z appears in the meeting transcript provided, and staff noted the Paulding County recommendation for denial remained in the record.