Council clears two planning items: HealthONE sleep center parcels and Big 4 Distributors consolidation

The Picayune City Council on Nov. 18 approved two planning applications: HealthONE’s request to combine three parcels on Highland Parkway for a proposed sleep center, and an application from Shane Rainer of Big 4 Distributors to combine two parcels on Wildwood for a distribution operation.

Planning staff told the council the HealthONE parcels are zoned C-3 (Highway Commercial) and that parts of the site lie in FEMA Zone A (1% annual chance of flooding) while other parcels are in Zone X (minimal to moderate flood hazard). Staff recommended approval and asked the council to authorize the mayor to sign necessary documents; the council voted in favor.

On the second item, council members asked the applicant, Shane Rainer, whether combining the lots would provide a right of way and about complaints that the site looked like a truck-storage yard rather than a building. Rainer said the facility would be a distribution center and that he would construct a building-like exterior. "It's gonna be a distribution center, and I was gonna, make it look a building," he said, adding that he planned screening near property lines and that he operates a dairy distribution business.

Council members sought assurances about fencing, early-morning activity and trespassing complaints from nearby residents. Rainer acknowledged concerns about people accessing trucks early in the morning and said he planned to dress out the site; after discussion the council approved the consolidation and authorized required signatures.

Why it matters: These approvals enable land assembly and development that the applicants say will support commercial operations and potential retail or service jobs; the HealthONE item also raised floodplain considerations that the council and staff noted for follow-up.

The council recorded motions and voice votes for both items and moved on to other agenda business.