Commissioners approve 420,000-square-foot industrial project in Union Cross with CETA allocation, citing jobs and infrastructure

The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners on April 24 unanimously approved zoning map amendment F-16-58 and a special intense development allocation (CETA) for a proposed 420,000-square-foot manufacturing and warehousing facility on 30.35 acres along Wahlberg Road in the Union Cross area.

Planning and Development Services Director Chris Murphy described the site as located between Union Cross Road and Business Park Drive in Growth Management Area 4, adjacent to Union Cross Business Park and a county recreation area. Murphy said the Southeast Forsyth County Area Plan includes a "special land use consideration" for industrial uses where public sewer is available; the Utilities Commission is installing a lift station to serve the basin. He said the proposed project would represent roughly $35 million in private investment and an estimated 250 jobs.

Luke Dickey of STEM Associates, representing Front Street Capital, told the board the developer had withdrawn an earlier convenience-store proposal and re-submitted a single industrial-only plan to reduce traffic impacts. He said a traffic impact analysis showed the relevant intersection would remain at Level of Service B under the revised plan and that the site plan provides signalized access connections to Business Park Drive and Hayes Drive.

The project includes truck access, employee parking, stormwater measures and stream buffers; the applicant confirmed buffering and stormwater controls would meet county and, if annexed, city requirements. The applicant also noted the site would have strong access to I-74 and nearby I-40, supporting logistics and distribution uses.

A motion to approve the rezoning, site plan and CETA allocation passed unanimously. In the motion the board found the proposal consistent with the Legacy 2030 plan and the Southeast Forsyth County Area Plan update, and that the site met the county27s CETA criteria for economic development and job creation.

Why this matters: The approval clears the way for a large industrial facility in Union Cross that county staff said would add tens of millions in investment and hundreds of jobs, and uses the county27s CETA mechanism to allow a higher intensity of development within the watershed allocation rules.

What27s next: County staff and the applicant will proceed with permitting and any required city annexation or staff adjustments tied to property that lies within the city limits; the developer must meet applicable permitting and stormwater requirements before construction.

Sources: Chris Murphy (Planning and Development Services Director); Luke Dickey (STEM Associates, representing Front Street Capital); Forsyth County Board of Commissioners transcript, April 24, 2025.