SALISBURY — The Salisbury City Council approved the annexation of an approximately 115-acre property on Reid Farm Road, with plans for the property to be used for an 137,000-square-foot industrial warehousing facility.

The property is located at the end of Reid Farm Road, which is located near U.S. Highway 29 off of Peach Orchard Road. The property is already a part of the Salisbury Extra-Territorial jurisdiction, meaning that it is already zoned as Light Industrial under the city’s ordinances and any development is already considered under the city ordinances.

The property is currently under site review for a 137,000-square-foot industrial facility, said Planning and Neighborhoods Director Hannah Jacobson. The plans for the development show both office and warehousing space, with the majority of the space being indoor warehousing. The plans do not show any access to South Main Street, or U.S. Highway 29, with road access only extending to Reid Farm Road.

The owner is listed as Charlotte-based real estate developer Suncap Property Group on the site plan submission.

The development of the property is expected to raise its value to approximately $18 million, said Jacobson, with the city receiving approximately $112,000 in additional tax revenue annually. Currently, the property value is assessed at $130,000.

Jacobson noted that the property is surrounded by other Light Industrial parcels as well, with nearby developments including the Martin Marietta Materials site on Trexler Street. She added that the annexation would present “minimal service impact” to the city, with the property already being serviced by a sewer easement and any water line extension being the responsibility of the developer.

Jacobson said that Fire Chief Bob Parnell did reiterate that, while the department could cover the Reid Farm Road development, the increasing number of industrial sites in the area increased the need for fire inspectors in the department and represented a growing cumulative impact to firefighters at the nearby Fire Station 6.

Concerns were voiced during the public hearing about the coverage by police and the destruction of the property’s tree canopy.

To answer the coverage concern, Jacobson noted that industrial development typically does not provide a significant coverage impact to most city departments, including the police. Typically, residential developments are where coverage concerns come up, she said.

To address the canopy concern, Land and Development Services Director Philip Lookadoo said that the property would be required by city ordinances to maintain a minimum of 30 percent tree canopy as well as between an eight- and 10-foot buffer to nearby properties.

After the discussion, the members of the city council voted unanimously to approve the annexation.

(Editor’s note: A story previewing the city council meeting incorrectly stated that the property was zoned Rural Residential. That article has been corrected to reflect accurate information.)