Council approves rezoning for 300,000‑sq‑ft Oakidge Commerce Way warehouse with truck‑routing stipulations

Mableton City (April 22, 2026) — The council approved rezoning for a proposed 300,000‑square‑foot distribution warehouse on Oakidge Commerce Way, adding several new stipulations aimed at protecting adjacent residential neighborhoods.

Director Hughes summarized staff and Planning Commission recommendations and the added stipulations requiring a minimum landscape buffer, orientation of loading docks away from residences, wayfinding signage and internal operational plans to direct trucks to Thornton Road for interstate access, and a prohibition on through‑truck use of Oakidge Road (for vehicles with more than six wheels or GVWR >14,500 lb). The ordinance also prohibits the site from being used as a data center or detention center.

Henry Bailey, counsel for the applicant, and applicant representatives said the team conducted community outreach and agreed to the stipulations; they emphasized design choices that place truck courts away from residential parcels. Residents and neighborhood speakers, including Phil Barnett, opposed the rezoning citing safety and traffic concerns directly outside a daycare and nearby housing.

The applicant’s representative, EJ Thurman, said the project’s traffic impact study found currently about 560 vehicles pass Oakidge/Oakidge Commerce Way on a typical day and that the proposed development would add approximately 43 vehicles during the daytime peak and about 53 vehicles in the evening. "The findings were that on a normal day there's 560 vehicles ... and then in the evening there would be at most 53 cars and trucks," Thurman said when discussing study results.

Council members amended stipulations to require that a traffic impact analysis "shall" be completed prior to permitting (rather than "may" be done) and to require staff review and approval of any off‑site improvements such as turn lanes or striping. After discussion, the council approved the rezoning 5–1. Council debate focused on enforceability of truck routing (signage and coordination with Cobb DOT), the adequacy of buffers and noise mitigation, and the need for traffic‑management commitments in the permit.

The ordinance includes detailed conditions covering stormwater, lighting, noise mitigation, and compliance with Cobb DOT standards; the applicant agreed to combine subject parcels prior to land‑disturbance permitting. Council members said they expect staff to enforce routing and operational requirements and to return with any needed clarifications during permitting.

The rezoning will proceed under the council’s adopted stipulations; staff will require the traffic study and finalize permit conditions before the issuance of land‑disturbance or building permits.