An expected overflow crowd has prompted a change of location for Thursday night’s meeting to discuss a new grocery store in Gastonia.
The Gastonia Planning Commission will hold a public hearing to consider a developer’s proposal for a shopping center, anchored by a 53,000-square-foot Harris Teeter, near the intersection of Kendrick and Robinwood roads. The plan was to do that downtown at City Hall.
But the commission’s meeting has now been moved to the Gaston County Courthouse around the corner, to ensure more residents will have a place to sit, not to mention actually be allowed into the building.
Harris Teeter’s current proposal to build on 9 acres in southeast Gastonia requires the city to rezone some of the land. The project is a scaled-down version of one that was presented last summer, then involving a grocery store within a 104,000-square-foot shopping center.
Last May, the local planning commission was met with an overflow crowd when it discussed the proposal. Almost 100 sitting and standing spectators packed into two rooms at Gastonia City Hall before the fire marshal began turning away newcomers.
Forty-five people quickly claimed the seats in the main meeting room, well before the 5:30 p.m. session began. Another 50 were allowed to squeeze into an upstairs room and watch the meeting on closed-circuit television, before the Gastonia fire marshal ordered a police officer not to let anyone else through the front door.
City leaders say they learned from that experience and want to avoid a repeat, especially when such a testy development issue is involved.
The county courthouse can seat 165 people in its main meeting room. During the most heavily attended meetings, closed-circuit televisions in nearby rooms can accommodate more spectators.
If the seven-member planning commission votes to approve or deny the rezoning by a three-fourths majority or less, the request will automatically be referred to City Council. The matter will also be placed in City Council’s lap if anyone appeals the planning commission’s vote within 15 days.
You can reach Michael Barrett at 704-869-1826 or twitter.com/GazetteMike..
What: Gastonia Planning Commission meeting When: 5:30 p.m. Thursday Where: Gaston County Courthouse, 325 N. Marietta St., Gastonia Why: A public hearing will be held to consider a proposal to build a shopping center, anchored by a 53,000-square-foot Harris Teeter grocery store, near the intersection of Kendrick and Robinwood roads.
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