LOWELL -- The Planning Commission on Tuesday approved the construction of a warehouse and storage unit facility.
I.O. Metro, a furniture retailer, plans to start site work immediately on the 60,000-square-foot warehouse, said Patrick Foy, engineer with Morrison Shipley. He said the structure will be at the company's distribution center, 316 Commercial Ave.
I.O. Metro was started in Bentonville in 2005, according to its website. The company now has 15 locations in eight states across the south and midwest. Stores are at Rogers, Fayetteville and Little Rock with other locations in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas.
Shipley said the company plans to use about 25,000 square feet of the warehouse. He said it will lease out the other portion of the facility.
A 7-acre storage facility also was approved Tuesday by the commission.
David Morris, a contractor with Arkansas Construction Solutions of Rogers, said the facility will be upscale using higher end materials and landscaping. He said it will be at 1405 through 1407 W. Monroe Ave.
"It will not be a typical metal building," Morris said. "It will cater toward recreational crafts."
A bulk of the facility will be used for boats, Morris said.
The commission approved a 20,000-square-foot building for the site Tuesday, Morris said. He said there are plans to come back in the near future for approval of three additional buildings equaling 40,000 square feet.
Morris said the facility could be a benefit for the city.
"There is limited storage in that area," Morris said.
The owner of the facility will be Profusion Proprieties, Morris said.
The large-scale development plan for the storage facility was approved contingent on developers meeting city staff's recommendations for drainage and landscaping.
NW News on 08/04/2015