Commission approves Flex & Gate PD change and SUP with one‑year SUP review after resident complaints about noise

The Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously approved a PD rezoning and a Specific Use Permit that will allow outside storage at 2155 W. Interstate 20, but added a one‑year review to monitor compliance.

Staff explained the request converts the site’s PD from commercial to light industrial uses and triggers an SUP for outside storage because the site is in an Interstate 20 overlay. The development review committee recommended approval with conditions: outside storage only in the red‑shaded area on the applicant’s site plan, the storage area must be set back at least 210 feet from the property line toward the frontage road, the applicant must obtain a building permit before installing polyethylene slats in an existing chain‑link fence, and those slats must be installed within three months of City Council approval of the SUP.

Tommy Mann, attorney for the applicant, said Flex & Gate has grown rapidly since arriving in 2017 and now employs about 1,400 people across facilities; the company explained some assembly and welding occur inside the building and outside racks are used when space is constrained. Company representatives said they moved and consolidated outside racking to reduce neighborhood impacts and proposed slat screening, a maintenance program and a possible restriction on forklift activity in the outside storage area after 11 p.m.

Residents raised long‑running concerns. Deborah Johnston, who said she has lived in the area for almost 30 years, recounted persistent noise from forklifts at a nearby property and warned that approving outside storage could set a corridor‑wide precedent. Commissioners pressed staff and the applicant on the history of compliance and whether the city can enforce conditions if visibility or noise problems emerge after construction.

To address those concerns, the commission approved the PD and SUP on the DRC recommendations and explicitly added a requirement that the SUP be reviewed in one year to confirm compliance with conditions. The motion passed unanimously.

Staff noted that noise complaints are handled by the city’s Public Health and Environmental Quality department, and the commission suggested continued community outreach between the company and neighbors to limit future conflicts.