TROUTMAN, N.C. — Troutman is one step closer to getting a new fulfillment center.
The Town Council unanimously voted Thursday night to approve a major fulfillment center project off Charlotte Highway near Ostwalt-Amity and Perry roads.
Town leaders said two companies are interested in the 160-acre plot of land and that the development would bring hundreds of new jobs. But some residents are concerned that such a project goes against everything Troutman is about.
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The proposed site is down the street from the Cedar Stump Pub and owner Jeremy Shaw told Channel 9 the project is the talk of the town.
“Our slogan is ‘Enjoy the lake naturally,’” Shaw said the day before the vote. “There’s nothing natural about 18-wheelers running through our town.”
Shaw’s bar is just down the street from the 160-acre project site. The land is largely vacant at the moment.
Shaw said the project goes against the town’s land-use plans and he worries it would ruin the character of Troutman.
“It is just going to kill our vibe and our culture that our town and our community has created,” he said.
A site plan for the project calls for 1.7 million square feet of development with two distribution center buildings.
Town Manager Ron Wyatt told Channel 9 that developers are talking to at least two companies interested in the land. While Amazon was the rumored company interested in the property, Wyatt said the two companies are “definitely not Amazon.”
He said the project will generate hundreds of jobs and the developer would fund infrastructure improvements like new signals, lanes and intersections.
Traffic is one of Shaw’s big worries.
“Traffic is already a nightmare and you start bringing 18-wheelers in the mix and people are going to be pulling their hair out,” he said.
Resident Megan Hinson said she knows that feeling already. The mother of two gets caught in the traffic craziness when she takes her daughter her school.
To make matters worse, she said the warehouse will be practically on top of her.
“I was like, ‘Oh no,’” she said. “Who wants a giant warehouse in their backyard?”
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She said she’s not opposed to growth but agrees with Shaw that this is not something she expected.
(WATCH BELOW: Thousands flocking to western Meck County ahead of massive development)
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