H-J Enterprises, an electrical supply manufacturer, plans to expand its High Ridge factory and warehouse.
Jefferson County Planning and Zoning Commissioner Danny Tuggle said the proposed expansion would lead to about 300 additional jobs at the High Ridge location.
The commission voted unanimously Dec. 12 to recommend approval of the manufacturing company’s proposed development plan.
The County Council, which has the sole authority over rezoning in unincorporated parts of the county, will likely consider the development plan at a meeting early next year.
H-J Enterprises is a “global leader in the heavy electrical industry,” with offices in Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, India, Mexico, the Philippines, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, and the U.S., according to its website. The manufacturer began operations in 1969 in High Ridge.
The plan calls for the current 15-acre property at 6217 Hwy. PP in Council District 1, which Councilman Brian Haskins represents, to build a new 56,000-square-foot manufacturing addition and a 6,231-square-foot warehouse addition. A new parking lot with 204 spaces would replace the current lot.
“This company started in High Ridge many years ago and has since expanded to four continents,” Tuggle said. “Their home base is still in High Ridge. They do a lot of good stuff in the community for us, and they’re going to bring in another 300 people for our area.”
Galen Harrison, who lives in nearby Byrnes Mill and serves on the Byrnes Mill Board of Alderpersons, said he is worried about excessive stormwater runoff from the new development. He said Antire Creek, which runs parallel to the H-J Enterprises property, regularly causes erosion to the only access to his subdivision.
“I’m not necessarily opposed to this project, but I’m opposed to the water situation that may result from this project,” Harrison said. “Our street has a culvert that is like a bridge and in the past, we have had some problems with erosion in that area. We had a problem where it got eroded enough that it collapsed on one side of that street, and we had to spend tens of thousands of dollars to eliminate that erosion and get it repaired.
“That street is our only way in or out of the property to Hwy. PP.”
Elliott Reed, engineering manager with Cochran Engineering in Union, spoke on behalf of H-J Enterprises during the meeting. He said he wasn’t aware of any water runoff issues but would look into the issue Harrison brought up.
Reed also said any additional water runoff caused by the additions would be addressed in further construction drafts, adding that the proposed plans would not further encroach on the creek.
“All of the stormwater retention will have to be upgraded to meet current codes,” Reed said. “We haven’t gotten to that part yet in the project, but when we submit our construction drawings, it will all be per code.”
Mitch Bair, director of County Services, said H-J Enterprises could deal with any projected increase in stormwater runoff by increasing the depth of existing water retention basins.
“The detention will have to be sized adequately to handle any additional runoff or stormwater generated by additional impervious surfaces on site,” Bair said.