Planning Commission approves Rogers Group maintenance facility with façade waiver; staff to finalize payment-in-lieu amount

At a meeting of the Hendersonville Planning Commission, commissioners approved the Rogers Group Hendersonville shop site plan and granted a waiver to allow metal on the building elevation that faces Big Station Camp Creek Boulevard, with a payment-in-lieu option for a previously required greenway to be finalized by staff.

Assistant planning director Timothy summarized the request, saying the company wants to build an 11,000-square-foot maintenance facility on property owned by Rheostone LLC and is seeking a waiver from the zoning-design requirement that would normally bar metal on the front façade. “They are requesting a waiver to allow metal, on the side that would face Big Station Camp Creek Boulevard,” Timothy said during his presentation, adding that the site is industrial and is partly screened by an existing tree buffer.

Timothy reviewed a 2015 Planning Commission stipulation tied to Rogers Group’s earlier asphalt-plant relocation: the developer had been required to accommodate a greenway across the property or make a payment in lieu of building sidewalk, curb and gutter if Corps of Engineers permission could not be obtained. He told commissioners that physical constraints — including conveyor belts, a major haul road and frequent rock dust at the quarry — make building a comfortable on-site greenway challenging.

Public-works estimates provided to staff put the curb-and-sidewalk option at about $137,200 and the greenway build at about $216,800, figures Timothy described as rough estimates. Commissioner Martin asked that the city seek the larger value if the developer is paying in lieu: “I would like to see the comparison because, personally, I’d rather see the city get the larger of the two,” he said.

Austin Gamble, who identified himself as a Rogers Group representative, told commissioners the company is open to extending an evergreen screen where Rogers owns land and that the firm is discussing a potential easement along the west side of the quarry as an alternative greenway route. “We can — I’ll check into that,” Gamble said when asked whether the company would extend trees along the entrance road.

Commissioners debated conditions and agreed to leave the payment-in-lieu amount to be determined by planning and public-works metrics and to continue discussions about a possible future easement. Commissioner (speaker 2) moved to approve the site plan with the requested building-materials waiver and with the greenway payment-in-lieu to be finalized by staff; the motion was seconded and passed by electronic vote (reported as nine yeses).

The approval lets Rogers Group proceed with site development subject to the waiver and the future administrative determination of the payment-in-lieu. Staff will follow up with public-works estimates and finalize the amount, and the commission left discussion of any potential easement on the property’s west side open for future consideration.