Pruitt Development Self-Storage Project Receives Special-Use Permit in Troutman, NC

Update 3/13/17 – The Troutman Town Council voted last week to rezone the 11-acre parcel it will annex at 111 Westmoreland Road. The 3-2 decision will enable Landmark Self Storage to pursue a new facility with a special-use permit, according to the source. The council approved the zoning change despite continued opposition from residents, several of whom “stormed out” of the meeting following the vote.

June 29, 2017

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Update 6/29/17 – The Troutman Board of Adjustments unanimously approved a special-use permit on June 22 for the Pruitt self-storage development on Westmoreland Road. The single-story facility will comprise 80,000 square feet. Construction is expected to take six months, with a business opening scheduled for early next year, according to the source.

Though the project continued to face residential opposition, business partners Robinson and Terry Wilson addressed the board, sharing details of their existing Landmark Self Storage facility in Lincolnton to counter arguments from community members. Robinson indicated the Westmoreland property will have only one entrance to control traffic flow. Security concerns will be addressed through customer keycode access, lighting and video cameras.

“We know who comes and goes from the time they enter their code,” Wilson told the board. A group of five people representing organized opposition left the meeting without comment, the source reported.

The name of the facility is still under consideration, according to the source.

The project will still require architectural approval from the design review board and town council.

3/13/17 – The Troutman Town Council voted last week to rezone the 11-acre parcel it will annex at 111 Westmoreland Road. The 3-2 decision will enable Landmark Self Storage to pursue a new facility with a special-use permit, according to the source. The council approved the zoning change despite continued opposition from residents, several of whom “stormed out” of the meeting following the vote.

James McNiff, a former member of the planning and zoning board, was the only member of the public to speak in favor of the project during the meeting. “I’ve come to recognize the harsh reality of small-town America,” he said. “They’re either going to grow or die. Maintaining the status quo is a myth.”

The rezoning request had been under discussion for more than five months, the source reported. Councilmember Sally Williams, who voted in favor of the rezoning, said the council was following the zoning board’s direction.

2/14/17 – The Troutman Town Council last week unanimously voted to annex the 11 acres at 111 Westmoreland Road but tabled the rezoning request that would allow self-storage on the property with a special-use permit. The council chose to push back the rezoning vote to gather more information, according to the source.

Several county residents spoke against the self-storage project. Resident Bert Gowens submitted a petition signed by 90 residents who oppose it.

Rezoning applicant Mark Robinson, who owns Landmark Self Storage in Lincolnton, N.C., spoke during the meeting and tried to convince those against to the project that self-storage is a safe business. “In all our time, we’ve had one gas can stolen,” he said. “We never had a puppy mill or a meth lab. We’ve never had body parts found in our units. We get along with everybody in Lincoln County.”

The report didn’t indicate when the council may revisit or vote on the application.

2/1/17 – The Troutman Planning and Zoning Board voted on Jan. 24 to recommend rezoning 11 acres at 111 Westmoreland Road from “residential agricultural” to “highway business,” which would allow self-storage on the property with a special-use permit. The city council will vote on whether to annex the property from the county prior to voting on the rezoning proposal, according to the source.

The recommendation came despite continued opposition from residents. Kevin Smith argued there is plenty of land zoned for commercial use already without encroaching on the neighborhood, while Mariah Overcash warned of illicit businesses being operated out of storage units.

“They can say stuff is not run out of storage units, but there are statistics,” Overcash told planners. “Puppy mills are run out of them. Meth labs are run out of them. Craigslist is run out of them. I just think they should be in a different place.”

Real estate agent John Kindley spoke in favor of the plan, calling self-storage a “benign use” and arguing other uses could be “a lot more aggressive.” He also noted that if the council doesn’t annex the land and approve the rezoning, the applicant could go straight to the county for approval.

The council is scheduled to review the issue on Feb. 9

1/13/17 – The Troutman Town Council was expected to vote last night on whether to set a public hearing for the controversial proposal to annex acreage at 111 Westmoreland Road. The annexation would allow Pruitt Development to move forward with its self-storage plan, according to the source.

In addition, the planning and zoning board will discuss the annexation on Jan. 24. Its recommendation to the council would be made prior to the council’s public hearing on the subject, the source reported.

11/14/16 – A self-storage development proposed for Troutman, N.C., was shot down last week by the town council after residents objected to the project. A motion by council member Paul Henkel to allow Pruitt Development Corp. to build a storage facility in the highway business district was denied during the Nov. 10 public hearing, according to the source. The meeting drew a number of community members, including some from outside the town.

Although the proposal for a 10-acre site on Westmoreland Road is consistent with the town’s 2035 Future Land Use Plan, residents opposed it, claiming storage facility would cause declining property values as well as an increase in crime and traffic, the source reported.

“I, quite frankly, bought our house looking to buy more rural agriculture, understanding it will grow,” said Mark Goins, who lives in the Autumn Grove neighborhood. “I just don’t think a storage facility is appropriate. There are no other businesses within a mile of the proposed location. Mini-storage runs itself and people come at all hours. This could basically be a potential place for crimes. People could pull into the parking lot to hang out.”

Resident Vicki Klutz told the council the facility would cause more traffic in the area. “I think it will be a terrible intersection and cause a lot of problems. It would add to traffic and confusion, and I think it’s dangerous,” she said.

Pruitt is based in Mooresville, N.C.

 

Sources:

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