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Council approves annexation, rezoning to allow Alrose Steel expansion in north High Point
Summary
The High Point City Council voted to annex a 10-acre northern site and rezone it to allow an expansion of Alrose Steel’s manufacturing facility; the company and staff said the project requires municipal water and sewer and could take two to three years.
High Point City Council voted to annex a roughly 10-acre site in the city’s northern planning area and to adopt a zoning change that will allow an expansion of the existing metal-processing facility on the parcel.
The action, taken after a combined staff presentation and a public hearing, approves an annexation petition and a conditional Employment Center (EC) zoning designation that staff and the applicant say are needed so the property can connect to municipal water and sewer for a proposed expansion to the facility.
City planning staff told the council the site now contains a 43,000-square-foot manufacturing facility and that the property owner is proposing to expand the building to about 65,000 square feet as part of approximately a $10 million project. Staff said city water and sewer abut the site and that annexation and EC zoning align with the city’s comprehensive plan and existing industrial development pattern in the area.
Herb Shannon, senior planner in the Planning and Development Department, said the EC district requested for the site has the same standards as nearby industrial properties and that the Planning & Zoning Commission recommended approval with a consistency and reasonable statement.
Brent Cochran, representing the applicant and speaking for FBI Civil Engineers and Land Surveyors, described Alrose Steel (documented in the city staff report as “Alrose Steel Corporation”) as a family-owned distributor and processor founded in 1948 with an existing regional presence. Cochran said the company currently operates from well and septic on the parcel and needs municipal utilities to modernize and expand operations. He told council that trucks will enter and exit overhead doors as part of the processing flow inside the building and that site grading, truck turning and permitting remain to be completed. He estimated the construction timeline at roughly two to three years.
No members of the public spoke in opposition during the hearing; Cochran said he and the applicant conducted community outreach and that one nearby property owner had contacted the project team. After the hearing, the council approved the annexation motion and then approved the zoning request and adopted the Planning & Zoning Commission’s consistency and reasonable statement. The votes were recorded by voice; the mayor called for “ayes,” and the ayes carried.
The annexation and rezoning will allow the property to connect to city utilities and proceed through required permitting and technical reviews before site work and construction begin. City staff said they will continue working with the applicant and NCDOT on access and driveways on National Service Road.
Council did not provide an estimated job count or tax revenue projection in the discussion. Project timing, Cochran said, depends on final engineering, grading and permit approvals.
The council’s action was the result of a separate public hearing on annexation and a companion zoning map amendment; both required separate council votes though staff presented them together.
