Matthews board defers Microflex site-plan decision after commissioners flag design and safety questions

The Matthews Board of Commissioners on Feb. 9 deferred a site-plan and elevation decision for a proposed Microflex development on Monroe Road to allow the applicant to address technical and design concerns.

Rob Will, the Town of Matthews senior planner and zoning administrator, told the board the project — on a parcel designated Lot 2 in a prior rezoning — complies with the rezoning conditions that require board approval of site plans and building elevations before permits are issued. "This is not a rezoning," Will said during his staff presentation. He noted the town's ongoing stormwater and transportation reviews.

Mike Hopper, representing Microflex, said the project would create four buildings with about 34 units and that similar Microflex projects the company built have strong early leasing. "We are very low generators of traffic," Hopper said, adding the company tailors leases to permitted occupancy and uses and conducts property-management visits to enforce rules. He also said units typically include 100-amp electrical panels and optional mezzanines.

Commissioners pressed on several technical points. Commissioner Jonathan Clayton asked whether the "street-facing façade" requirement applied only to Monroe Road; staff confirmed it does. Commissioner Carrie Lamson and others questioned the parking-count method, noting work bays and bay doors can alter how spaces are counted for a flex/warehouse mix. Will said staff used a hybrid office/warehouse approach because the use is an uncommon, mixed-use space.

Commissioner John Urban and others raised concerns about fire classification and building elevations, noting the project was presented with end-elevation graphics that did not match the site plan. Hopper and staff clarified that garage doors are on the long sides of the buildings and provided eave-height figures (rear about 21 feet 7 inches, front about 17 feet). Urban suggested additional landscaping and full-cutoff exterior lighting to soften long blank walls and reduce visual impacts from Monroe Road.

After extended technical discussion over parking, ADA access, loading areas, potential tenant activities and dumpster and bike-rack locations, Commissioner Urban moved to defer the site-plan and elevation decision to March 9 so the petitioner could address the items raised. Commissioner Brian Hacker seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Hopper said he was amenable to the deferral and asked staff for a consolidated list of requested revisions.

The board’s deferral preserves the requirement that the site plan and elevations be approved before building permits are issued and gives staff and the applicant time to align plans with the board’s design and safety expectations.