Paso Robles News|Thursday, March 28, 2024
You are here: Home » Politics » Planning commission approves Firestone expansion
  • Follow Us!

Planning commission approves Firestone expansion 

Proposed warehouse

The proposed warehouse.

– At their most recent meeting, the Paso Robles Planning Commission approved an application filed by Firestone Walker LLC to construct a 9,000 square foot expansion to an existing 19,500 square foot building for office and warehouse uses and construct a new 55,000 square foot warehouse, with a 39 space surface parking lot.

The project will also include the removal of one oak tree, which has already been approved by the Paso Robles City Council.

The expansion site.

The expansion site.

The project is located at 1400 Ramada Drive. The project site’s general plan designation is business park and is zoned for manufacturing. The proposed 9,000 square foot addition is for the building which used to be Nu-Way Cleaners. The expansion would include additional warehouse space and office space. The additions would take place between the building and the street within the existing parking lot area.

The oak tree that will be removed.

The oak tree that will be removed.

The 55,000 square foot warehouse building would be constructed on a three-acre site which is currently undeveloped and is being used for outdoor storage of materials and equipment related to the existing brewery and ongoing construction of brewery expansion areas. A 39 space parking area will also be constructed on the north side of the new warehouse building.

Concerns were addressed by some representatives from neighboring building owners regarding heavy traffic use, oftentimes by forklifts and tractors. Craig Armstrong, represents Arbiter Systems, located next to the proposed new development. In a letter to the commission, he states, “Firestone conducts many business activities outdoors. This includes storage of pallets and kegs, dumpsters, truck ramps on the road, and constant unlicensed vehicle travel on roads and sidewalks.”

Jeff Smith, an employee of a neighboring business, wrote, “Firestone uses a fleet of unlicensed vehicles on city streets to move people, product and materials between the buildings of their campus. These vehicles include forklifts, cushman carts, and large ATV’s. Quite frequently they are going the wrong way, against traffic, and it is not uncommon for them to be carrying large loads which obstruct the operator’s view… Vendel’s Circle has been quite the obstacle course.”

Another issue brought up was parking. Many neighboring business owners felt that the parking situation, even with the expansion, was inadequate.

The commission decided that the issues addressed were more related to traffic control than city planning. The vote passed 6-0.

Share To Social Media

Comments

About the author: News Staff

The news staff of the Paso Robles Daily News wrote or edited this story from local contributors and press releases. The news staff can be reached at info@pasoroblesdailynews.com.