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Hickory council approves annexation and rezoning for industrial business park along Tate Boulevard despite neighborhood concerns
Summary
The council unanimously approved a voluntary annexation and rezoning (petition 26-01) for about 11.7 acres on Tate Boulevard to allow an industrial flex business park; the applicant said Lift 1 will occupy a 28,000 sq ft building with limited daytime deliveries, while nearby residents warned of traffic, noise and emergency-access risks.
The Hickory City Council on Feb. 17 approved a voluntary contiguous annexation and rezoning petition 26-01 that will allow an industrial flex business park on roughly 11.7 acres at Tate Boulevard Southeast and Fair Grove Church Road Southeast.
Planning staff told the council the petition is consistent with the Hickory by Choice comprehensive plan and that necessary public services are available. Harris Morrison, representing developer Fortius Capital Partners, said the project includes a 28,000-square-foot building to be leased long-term to Lift 1, a forklift sales-and-service firm, and a larger 73,500-square-foot speculative building aimed at light industrial or distribution tenants. Morrison said the Lift 1 location will operate from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. with "two to three delivery trucks a day" and that the firm has added screening, buffering, photometric lighting controls and an eight-foot privacy fence after neighbor meetings.
"We listened to their concerns," Morrison said, describing swapped building locations and commitments to reduced nighttime lighting and buffers to limit impacts. Scott Huffman, who identified himself as part of the Wiziger Group (Lift 1’s parent company), said the site would allow Lift 1 to remain in the area and expand. "We've been here 10 years...this really satisfies that need," Huffman said.
Several neighbors urged caution. Mei Li, who said she lives at 520 Fair Grove Church Road in a cluster of four homes adjacent to the site, told council members the neighborhood is a "quiet, quaint residential pocket" and that truck routing, limited turning space, proximity to a hospital intersection and bus routes raise safety and quality-of-life concerns. "For a small residential corner like ours, this raised some concerns, loss of peace and quiet for our children," she said.
City staff and the applicant answered technical questions during the public hearing: the applicant’s civil engineer, Will Clayton, said the site design includes two access points (one on Tate Boulevard and one on Fair Grove Church Road) and a loop road to ensure emergency access and circulation. Planning staff said the North Carolina Department of Transportation participated in a pre-application review and reported no major concerns for the initial announced tenant.
The council moved and seconded approval for both the annexation and rezoning petition 26-01; votes were taken by voice and carried unanimously.
Next steps: the developer must submit final site plans, photometric and traffic details for staff review and required permitting. The council’s approval changes the property’s municipal boundaries and zoning to allow industrial uses; any future tenant changes or a shift to heavier manufacturing would be subject to applicable permits and inspections.
