Residents along Cherry Lane, especially in the Old Fields subdivision, probably felt that they had prevailed more than a year ago when an Atlanta developer withdrew plans in March 2022 for two large warehouse projects along Cherry Lane across from their subdivision.
Residents had been out in full force since the previous December, lobbying and speaking against the twin warehouse projects that they viewed as spoiling their largely rural setting.
The warehouses, proposed by Atlanta-based Intersect Development Group would have been 825,000 and 400,000 square feet sprawled across 125 acres along Cherry Lane.
But one of the properties that was part of that earlier proposal had already been zoned for light industrial use years before, and the developer has more recently returned to Graham with plans for a large warehouse, though smaller than originally envisioned, that doesn’t require any rezoning.
In fact, Graham’s city council annexed the land, 38.93 acres, at its June 13 meeting.
The city is now reviewing the proposed plans for a 282,000 square foot warehouse to be built on the corner of Cherry Lane and Governor Scott Farm Road.
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Graham’s planner, Cameron West, told the newspaper Wednesday, “Plans have been submitted, but they are not fully approved yet…Keep in mind these plans are susceptible to change based on further review.”
One of the objections neighbors had in 2022 was that the buildings would be so tall (50 feet in the original plans) and thus dominate the landscape. The current plan has the warehouse with a height of 40 feet.
The newest plans show that the building is also set back on the lot from Cherry Lane, rather than looming over the two-lane road, another of the 2022 objections from nearby residents.
The new plans include 67 tractor trailer spaces and 347 for cars.
