Planning commission OKs Shape site plan

Published 5:42 pm Wednesday, October 21, 2015

The Athens Planning Commission passed a resolution Tuesday to approve the site plan for Shape Corp., the $24 million injection molding industry announced earlier this month.

The plan was prepared by industrial contracting firm Jesco Inc. and had come before the commission because the project exceeds 25,000 square feet. The 100,000-square-foot facility will be constructed on 34 acres off Roy Long Road in the Breeding Industrial Complex.

City Planner Mac Martin told commissioners the site plan meets the city’s criteria for the zoning classification of M-1, or light industrial.

“We feel like adequate measures have been taken to ensure (industrial processes) will be enclosed inside the building,” he said.

Steve Brewster with Jesco told commissioners there would be silos in front of the facility where Shape will store plastic materials used for manufacturing. When asked about truck traffic around the facility, commissioners were told loading and unloading would take place at the northeast corner of the property.

Brent Yeager, controller with the Grand Haven, Michigan-based Shape Corp., previously told The News Courier the company would hire 87 workers in its first phase and add up to 83 more in a second phase. The average salary for the jobs is $40,000 per year.

“We’re planning on hiring by spring of next year,” Yeager said on Oct. 9. “We need to be running parts out of here by June of next year.”

Elsewhere, the commission held a public hearing and then granted conditional-use approval to a request by the Maund Family Partnership LLC to use a rear portion of the former Sundry building at the corner of Washington and Clinton streets for storage. Developer John Plunk, who was at the meeting representing the Maund Family, told commissioners the rear half of the building would be used to house “products for a future industry in Limestone County.”

Under the conditional use, the front and rear of the building would have to be separated by a rated fire wall, no personal storage would be permitted and on-street parking for loading and unloading would be prohibited. When asked about noise, Plunk said the warehouse would be in operation from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and no forklifts would be in use.

In other business, the commission:

• Held a public hearing and then granted temporary conditional use approval to property owner Willie Burton to allow him to keep up to nine recreational vehicles on his property at 1050 Calvin Private Drive. The Athens City Council previously voted to rezone the property to RMH, or residential manufactured housing district, but city attorney Shane Black said the planning commission had to approve this final step before that zoning could take effect. He told the commission Burton would not be permitted to keep the RVs on the property for more than 12 months, and if he exceeded that time span, he would be in violation of the zoning ordinance. Under the terms of the RMH zoning, Burton could have up to 13 manufactured homes on the property, but would be required to install a tornado shelter and make landscaping improvements;

• Held a public hearing and granted preliminary approval to extend the Strange Street subdivision, located between Market and Washington streets, and north of the intersection of Washington and Strange streets. The request was made by the Maund Family Partnership LLC;

• Held a public hearing and granted a request by Davidson Homes LLC to rezone property located at 402 Chestnut St. to allow for a town-home development. Austin Evans with Davidson Homes told the commission 12 to 16 town homes would be built on the 1.3-acre lot;

• Held a public hearing and gave preliminary and final approval to the Morris and Wallace subdivision, a minor subdivision at 15091 Lucas Ferry Road. The request was made by Derek and Kayla Wallace; and

• Reappointed Rod Huffman as chairman of the planning commission and voted commissioner Venard Hendrix vice-chairman.

The commission will meet at 5:45 p.m. on Nov. 17 at the Athens Police Department. A work session begins at 5 p.m.