ANDERSON – Once the drainage plan is approved, construction work on a 250,000-square-foot cold storage facility in the Flagship Enterprise Center can begin.
The Anderson Board of Zoning Appeals on Tuesday approved the required special exception and variances from the height requirement and hard-surface road.
Interstate Warehousing Inc., a Tippmann Group company, has purchased 77 acres near the intersection of Layton Road and 73rd Street with plans to invest $30 million in the initial phase of the project.
Once completed, the complex is expected to cover 1 million square feet and eventually employ 200 people with an average annual salary of $56,000.
The first phase is expected to employ 50 to 60 people and is expected to open next August.
Jason Bransteter of the Tippmann Group said the 60-foot-tall building will allow for more storage of product. The maximum height allowed by city ordinance is 35 feet.
It was noted that the Nestle building to the east of the Interstate Warehousing site has a height of 100 feet.
“We’re talking about a small expansion before this is completed,” Bransteter said of the company’s relationship with Nestle.
He said a similar facility in Franklin was expanded every two years to its current size of 960,000 square feet.
Bransteter said Interstate Warehousing is in the process of purchasing a residential property on the northeast corner of the site, which should be completed in 90 days.
He said a temporary roadway will be constructed around the first phase for access by the Anderson Fire Department. Eventually the entire building will be surrounded by hard surface.
The plan for the property includes 114 parking spaces, 35 loading docks and parking for 70 trailers.
A total of 102 trees and 109 shrubs will be planted around the property in the future.
The company broke ground last Wednesday with earth already being moved with permission from the city of Anderson.
The $30 million investment includes $20 million in real property and $10 million in personal property.
The city of Anderson is providing a seven-year 50 percent tax abatement on the real property and a 60 percent seven-year abatement on the personal property.
The Anderson City Council will consider the requested tax abatements next Thursday.
The company has agreed to provide two internships to Anderson High School students and one scholarship.
The facility will be a multi-temperature storage warehouse with approximately 30,000 pallet positions and state-of-the-art equipment featuring some of the newest technology in the industry.