Rome planning board approves revised Chobani site plan for large dairy plant at Perimeter Road

The City of Rome Planning Board unanimously approved a revised site plan on Feb. 3 for Chobani’s proposed roughly 1,000,000‑plus square‑foot dairy processing facility at 150 Perimeter Road.

City planning staff and the company presented revisions to a previously approved plan that, according to attorney Kevin McAuliffe, moved building components farther from nearby homes, relocated employee parking and increased on‑site truck stacking to reduce impacts on the adjacent Bell Road and Bel Air neighborhoods. "It's now 684 feet from the property line," McAuliffe said of the project's southwest corner. "Now we have 28 spaces for trucks." The board heard the presentation and voted to approve the plan after staff recommended acceptance.

Why it matters: the facility is one of the largest commercial projects proposed in the city recently and prompted focused discussion about setbacks, circulation and noise. During the presentation, company representatives described technical changes intended to limit truck queuing on adjacent streets, reduce modeled noise by lowering on‑site speeds and consolidate ancillary buildings. The company said it will post an interior site speed limit of 25 mph and install a gate to manage truck flow.

Details: attorney Kevin McAuliffe, representing Chobani and Barclay Damon (Syracuse office), said the revised plan eliminates a previously planned fruit‑processing building and consolidates other support buildings, leaving the primary production footprint largely unchanged but increasing the closest setback to nearby residences. The plan moves employee parking from the north side to the east/south side of the main building, slightly reduces the size of a gateway building and consolidates separate receiving and utility buildings. McAuliffe said the lease boundary for the project now covers about 93 acres of the golf course property rather than the roughly 160 acres discussed previously, and the plan retains 1,001 parking spaces.

Circulation and utilities: the company added truck stacking capacity, raising on‑site stacking from 10 to 28 spaces and adding a gateway to control access. McAuliffe said the city has requested a permanent road to the wastewater pump station and that utilities (gas and electricity) will share right‑of‑way with the city and providers. He also noted the project's noise study was modeled on a higher assumed roadway speed and that adopting a lower on‑site speed would reduce modeled noise at the property line.

Neighborhood outreach: McAuliffe said Chobani held a neighborhood meeting on Jan. 21 for Bell Road and Bel Air residents; about 20 people attended and company staff provided contact information for follow‑up questions. Resident Chris Cardello told the board he appreciated the company's responsiveness, saying, "Thank you for everything you guys have done to adjust." Community and Economic Development staff told the board they found the proposed revisions "relatively minor" and recommended approval.

The board moved and approved the revised site plan by unanimous voice vote. Staff indicated standard administrative follow‑up will include document stamping and permitting steps before construction begins.