Mebane’s planning board gave a thumbs up to an Asheboro concrete company that wants to build its second plant in Mebane.
Piedmont Ready Mix wants to construct the new plant on 5.28 acres at 920 Mattress Factory Road, which is at the corner of Mattress Factory Road and Industrial Drive, facing I-85/40.
The Mebane plant will be the company’s first satellite operation. Fred Gibson of the company told the planning board that the additional location was needed because of increased business the company is enjoying in the area.
But the ready-mixed concrete generally needs to be used within a just a few hours, Gibson explained, and the long commute from Asheboro restricts the number and volume of the projects that the company can currently supply.
Gibson said the company’s normal operating hours would be 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., although occasionally for large projects, the company may have to start earlier in the morning.
Discussion focused on the fact that, given the location is already in an industrial zone, operating hours should not be an impediment or irritant to residential neighbors since there are none. (The vacant single-family house on the concrete company’s lot will be demolished for construction.)
Some discussion focused on the company’s promise to build a sidewalk along both sides of its property (on both Mattress Factory Road and Industrial Drive) even though it would not connect to any other sidewalk. The “sidewalk to nowhere,” as it was termed, was kept, however, as one of the requirements for the city’s approval.
The planning board voted unanimously, 7-0, for the special use permit request needed for the concrete plant construction. Planning board members Keith Hoover and Gale Pettiford were absent.
Mebane’s city council will take up the issue at its November 6 meeting.
