Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Industrial Storage Variance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Hainesport board approves temporary permit for Aeki Batteries to store refrigerated battery cells on-site
Summary
The Hainesport Joint Land Use Board granted Aeki Batteries a five-year use variance to place four refrigerated storage containers at its Berry Drive facility, subject to planner and fire-department conditions and a required status report at three years.
The Hainesport Township Joint Land Use Board on April 1 approved a conditional use variance allowing Aeki Batteries, Inc. to place four refrigerated outdoor storage containers at its Berry Drive facility while the company pursues a permanent expansion or alternate storage.
Attorney Neil O'Brien told the board the company previously received similar temporary approval but removed the units in 2021 when demand slowed. Company president Xiao Feng testified the business has since grown — in part because of a rail-industry contract — and now requires temporary, climate-controlled storage for lithium cells and components used in assembling battery systems. Feng said the units will be stationary 40-foot refrigerated containers with temperature monitoring, alarms and restricted access.
Board members and professionals pressed the applicant on safety and logistics. The applicant said cells would be stored deenergized inside refrigerated containers, moved into the plant with pallet jacks and forklifts, and secured with locked doors, camera monitoring and alarms. The fire department’s recommendations and the planner’s technical comments were incorporated into the conditions of approval. The board also discussed elevation and flood risk; the applicant and planner said the container locations sit well above the nearby detention basin and do not appear to be in a floodplain.
Members raised parking and visual-impact concerns: the containers will temporarily displace 11 parking spaces. The applicant and planner said the 8.75-acre industrial site has surplus parking and that the containers will be painted a muted color and removed when the temporary need ends. The applicant offered to add fencing around the container door areas and to work with the planner on any ADA/loading adjustments required for forklift access.
After debate about the duration, the board approved the requested five-year term with an explicit condition that Aeki provide a status report to the board three years after approval. The resolution requires compliance with planner recommendations, fire-department conditions and any agreed site improvements, including final drawings showing container placement and any curb depressions or loading accommodations.
No members of the public spoke during the meeting. The board also approved routine minutes and asked staff to circulate background materials on unrelated correspondence and past permits for future meetings.
The board’s motion to grant the use variance and site-plan waiver was moved and seconded and adopted by roll call. The resolution requires the applicant to coordinate final details with board professionals and to restore parking and site improvements when the containers are removed.
