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Garner council approves special-use permit for warehouse and freight movement at Greenfield Parkway
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Summary
After expert testimony from planning staff and three consultants, the Garner Town Council unanimously approved SUP26001 to allow warehouse and freight-movement use at 500 North Greenfield Parkway with three site-specific conditions recommended by the technical review committee.
The Garner Town Council on April 7 unanimously approved a special-use permit (SUP26001) allowing warehouse and freight movement operations on a 36-plus acre site at 500 North Greenfield Parkway.
Town planning staff and the applicant’s experts told the council the request concerns the permitted use, not the size or building design, and that the site is already zoned light industrial. Development review manager Nick Topelski said the application ‘‘is for the proposed use of the site’’ and noted the town’s recommended conditions: right-of-way dedication, a memorandum of agreement for stormwater operations and maintenance, and tree-protection fencing to be surveyed and inspected.
Why it matters: The site sits inside the Greenfield North Industrial Park and is designated in Garner’s comprehensive plan as an employment center. Council members said adding business-to-business warehouse activity could advance the town’s employment goals while retaining protections for nearby properties.
Applicant Hunter Winston, the owner’s attorney, presented a team of expert witnesses. Civil engineer Preston Royster testified that the proposal ‘‘is consistent with the town’s adopted transportation plans, other relevant adopted plans and policies’’ and that operations will occur entirely inside the buildings. Real-estate appraiser Jarvis Martin said comparable market data showed no adverse effect on surrounding property values. Transportation engineer Josh Ranke cited Institute of Transportation Engineers trip-generation data and concluded the specific ‘‘warehouse and freight movement’’ use would generate substantially fewer daily trips than a general light-industrial use and would therefore have no meaningful traffic impact.
Council discussion was limited after the presentations; several council members said the materials answered their technical questions. A council member moved to approve the permit with the three TRC-recommended conditions; the motion was seconded and passed by unanimous voice vote. The mayor thanked staff and the technical review committee for their analysis.
Next steps: Staff will prepare the permit document reflecting the conditions and verify right-of-way dedication, the stormwater operations agreement and the installation and inspection of tree-protection fencing as part of the site-development and building-permit process.
