SALISBURY — The Salisbury City Council voted to approve the annexation and rezoning of a 27-acre property located in the 200 block of Hurst Drive, allowing for the planned construction of a 200,000 square foot light industrial facility.

The annexation and rezoning were applied for by NWI Property Group, who asked for the city to annex the property and assign it a zoning designation of Light Industrial with a Conditional District Overlay. Previously, the property had been zoned Commercial, Business, Industrial and Rural Residential under the county’s zoning designation.

Salisbury Planning Manager Victoria Bailiff said that the rezoning would allow NWI to construct an approximately 230,000 square foot industrial facility aimed at light or neighborhood manufacturing, wholesaling and distribution and indoor storage.

NWI’s Michael Webber expressed enthusiasm for the plans.

“We’re investing $19 million into the community, and we are extremely excited to be here. This is a great area that we want to be in. We think it’s got great potential. The type of tenants we want to bring here, you can see from the approved list, is manufacturing, assembly, distribution, those are the types of companies that we typically work with,” Webber said.

As part of the process, Salisbury Planning and Neighborhood Director Hannah Jacobson said that NWI was required by the N.C. Department of Transportation to conduct a traffic impact analysis study. The results of that study indicated that the area would likely need a stop light or turning lane on Webb Road depending on where planned developments nearby stood.

Bailiff noted that the company plans to have multiple access points to the development, but that the exact locations were not yet certain due to the proposed extension of Lane Parkway. As of Tuesday, the proposal included one access onto Webb Road and two onto the extended Lane Parkway. She also said that the development would include 252 parking spaces and 41 trailer-stacking spaces on the property.

During the public hearing, Salisbury resident DeeDee Wright voiced her concern about the rise of development in the area in relation to the city’s air quality. To answer Wright’s concern, Bailiff said that light and neighborhood manufacturing is not the area where planners see air quality concerns, as heavy chemicals and other hazardous materials are typically reserved for heavier manufacturing usages. She did note that with wholesaling and distribution, the area would likely see an uptick in truck traffic in the area.

After the presentation and hearing, the members of the city council voted unanimously to approve both the annexation and rezoning. Mayor Tamara Sheffield was not present at the meeting.