Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Bloom Incorporated expansion and watershed special-use permit postponed until rezoning decision
Summary
Bloom Incorporated’s proposal to add a 40,000 sq ft office/showroom, reconfigure parking and exceed watershed impervious limits was presented; staff recommended approval but the board postponed final decisions on the companion zoning and watershed special-use permits until the June 16 rezoning action.
Bloom Incorporated asked the Planning Board and Board of Commissioners to amend a previously approved plan development to add a 40,000-square-foot office and showroom, reconfigure the parking lot and add a driveway on Old Plank Road. County planning staff said the application includes a concept plan and a community involvement summary from April 29 that showed neighbors were focused on post-construction stormwater design.
Jeremiah, planning staff, recommended approval and noted the project site at 7733 Old Plank Road sits adjacent to a mix of industrial and residential uses and includes areas regulated by the Catawba Mountain Island Lake watershed. Jake Modesto, the civil engineer for the applicant (CES Group Engineers), said the design emphasizes bioswales, landscaping, green infrastructure and energy-efficiency upgrades to existing buildings. Architect Peter Cucci described planned renovations, green roofs and rooftop solar.
Staff presented a companion watershed special-use permit (WSSUP41) asking to exceed the standard 36% impervious coverage in a WS‑4 protected area under the 10/70 option. Staff noted the watershed policy requires findings that the project will expand economic development, increase the tax base, create jobs or serve a community purpose; the county has previously allocated roughly 12 acres of the watershed for prior projects under the 10/70 option.
Because the applicant’s rezoning decision remains pending, the board voted to postpone action on both the special-use permit and the watershed special-use permit until after the Planning Board’s recommendation and the rezoning decision at the June 16, 2025 meeting. No final quasi-judicial findings were made tonight.
