The Amazon corporation cleared its final hurdle Tuesday evening and can now proceed with plans for an 81,000-square-foot facility in the Winchester-Clark County Industrial Park.
The Winchester-Clark County Planning Commission unanimously approved the final development plan for a call center on 15.4 acres zoned light industrial. The preliminary development plan was approved at the September meeting, when representatives said the call center could employ as many as 800 people by early 2013.
The original development plan called for the addition of three turn lanes on Rolling Hills Lane, at both the Amazon entrances and one at the entrance to the Winchester campus of Bluegrass Community and Technical College, located on the other side of Rolling Hills Lane. Director of Planning and Development Rhonda Cromer said after her office learned of the company’s staggered shift change, which will take place over a two-hour period, two of the turn lanes were eliminated. There will still be a turn lane at the main Amazon entrance, but there will be no turn lane at BCTC or at the secondary Amazon entrance.
Commissioner Mark Poole expressed concern about the elimination of the turn lane at BCTC, but Cromer said the traffic patterns didn’t warrant the additional lane.
The preliminary development plan also stated the facility would be on a 16.25-acre lot, but Amazon officials said they opted not to purchase an approximately .75-acre Columbia Gas easement.
Cromer recommended approval of the plan, which she said was in agreement with the Winchester-Clark County Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision Regulations.
In other business, the commission approved,
— a development plan for Heritage Baptist Church, 4369 Lexington Road, amended to include 34 parking spaces instead of the 29 proposed in the original final development plan,
— a final development plan for 13 additional parking spaces at Eastside Baptist Church, 274 Mount Sterling Road and
— a final development plan for John and Teresa Starnes, 760 Tech Drive, for an 11,130-square-foot extension to the existing 14,000-square-foot facility.
Contact Rachel Gilliam at rparsons@winchestersun.com.
