2 more warehouses approved in Greenwood

Two more warehouses could be coming to the east side of Greenwood, but these, unlike most others that have been proposed lately, faced no opposition.

That is because the property is surrounded by warehouses on three sides. An apartment complex — Trotters Point Apartments — is directly east of it.

The city’s planning commission unanimously approved rezoning about 20.5 acres at the northeast corner of Graham Road and East Main Street to industrial from commercial. No one from the board, the city planning staff or the public opposed the project, which includes two speculative buildings.

The property sat vacant for years, said Eric Prime, an attorney representing the developer, Becknell Industrial, which owns several buildings in Greenwood. In fact, they own four other buildings in the Southtech Park, which is where these proposed warehouses will be located if the city council approves them.

“This was actually a platted subdivision, and they (Becknell) are now in the process of obtaining the remainder of it so we can have some consistency,” Prime said.

“The current owner of this ground marketed it as (commercial) for almost a decade and got nowhere.”

It will include two buildings, one at 157,825 square-feet, and another at 170,500 square-feet. The developer will market the buildings as light industrial, ideally attracting manufacturing businesses and distribution centers, Prime said.

“The only other alternatives would be to have more apartments come in there, or a business, and right now, the apartments that are there serve as a buffer to the home sites farther east,” planning commission member John Shell said. “This seems like a proper land use for this area.”

The proposal will now go to the city council for consideration.