The Fayetteville City Council last week heard the first reading of a rezoning request on property at the North 85 Business Park that would allow Hawaii-based Oxen, Inc., to assemble its new residential water filtration system.
City Planning & Economic Development Director Brian Wismer said the company has been in the research and development phase since opening in the North 85 Business Park off Ga. Highway 85 nearly a year ago. Oxen was developing a patented electrolyzed water purification system and is ready to move to the assembly phase in an area that houses warehouse and industrial uses, Wismer said.
Pertaining to the request to rezone the 10,000 square-foot building from C-3 to an M-1 light manufacturing use, Wismer said, “Surrounding properties in the North 85 Business Park are all zoned C-3 and M-1 except for a few unincorporated lots that were never annexed, but have compatible uses to the other business park properties.”
Oxen representatives said the facility will be used to manufacture a residential electrolyzed water purification device designed to aid the body’s digestive system by reducing bacteria.
“The manufacturing process at this location will consist of some light-duty assembly lines where workers will assemble pre-molded plastic parts into complete units. No heavy machinery or excessive noise-generating equipment will be used in this manufacturing process and no objectionable vibration, smoke, dust, gas or fumes will result,” Wismer said.
Oxen plans to initially hire six employees and to add 15 others within two years.
If approved at the second reading, the Fayetteville plant will be the Hawaii-based company’s only U.S. manufacturing plant.
The city’s Planning and Zoning Commission made a unanimous recommendation for approval on Feb. 28.
Also at the meeting, the council tabled an economic development incentive aimed at providing a 50 percent reduction in the rezoning application for the Oxen project. The reduction amounts to a $375 savings and would represent an economic incentive to encourage the company to stay and grow their business in Fayetteville, Wismer said.
The reduction would be contingent on the company creating a minimum of six jobs within six months, Wismer said.
The issue was tabled until April when the council will hear the second reading of the rezoning request.
