- The Boone County Planning Commission recommended approval of M&P Logistics’ proposal to develop a 1.7-acre parking lot for 21 box trucks, 21 semi-tractors and 50 passenger vehicles adjacent to its Florence headquarters.
- Company officials said the expansion is needed to support growing shipments of high-value and sensitive freight, including AI-related equipment, that can be securely monitored on-site.
- The recommendation includes conditions prohibiting the storage of semi-trailers and freight containers, as well as any loading or unloading activities, with final approval resting with the Florence City Council.
The Boone County Planning Commission has given the go-ahead to Mackenzie & Paige Logistics to develop a new parking area for box trucks, semi-trailers and passenger vehicles in front of its Florence headquarters.
On Wednesday, June 3, the Boone County Planning Commission recommended approval of a zoning map amendment to amend a concept development plan for approximately 1.7 acres, located west of the company’s headquarters at 7900 Tanner’s Gate Lane in Florence.
M&P Logistics, founded in 2011 by Union native Kimberly Barr, seeks to construct a new parking area capable of accommodating 21 box trucks, 21 semi-tractors and 50 passenger vehicles as an accessory use to the adjacent logistics office building. Since its founding, the company has grown its logistics services across several states, offering specialized, high-security and time-sensitive freight shipping.
Because the lot borders Interstate 71/75, the company intends to build a new five-foot-tall, four-rail horse fence to replace the current chain-link fence that fronts the major roadway.
Boone County Zoning Administrator Michael Schwartz said the planning commission staff found the proposal was consistent with prior proposals and the Central Florence Strategic Plan.
Although the planning commission recommended approval of the project, it attached two conditions to the proposal prohibiting the storage of semi-trailers and freight containers, as well as any loading or unloading activities on the site.
“The committee is recommending two conditions: number one, the parking or storing of semi trailers, trailers, or freight containers shall be prohibited, and secondly, there shall be no loading or unloading of any kind on the site,” Schwartz said.
During a public hearing for the proposal on May 12, M&P Logistics President Steve Hall said the company planned to use the lot for high-value cargo, such as AI-related equipment. Because of the equipment’s high value, the lot would allow the cargo to be safely stored on-site under employee supervision.
“M&P Logistics is a nationwide transportation company, so we haul anything from raw materials to really high-value, sensitive products,” Hall said during the public hearing. “Really, the need of this has come out, as we continue to grow the box trucks are hauling a lot of very – again, I’ll use the word sensitive or high–value–AI; that part of the world is really coming into this area, and we haul that all around the country.”
M&P Logistics is relatively new to Florence, as the growing company planted its flag in the city in 2022 to accommodate its expanding white-collar employee base. The company took over a vacant 26,000-square-foot building on Tanner’s Gate Lane, which now serves as the home for much of its sales and administrative personnel.
As a city, Florence is home to a host of logistics companies. Its strategic location along Interstate 71/75, in addition to its close proximity to the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport– Greater Cincinnati’s air cargo hub–and the Ohio River, makes it a key city within the region’s logistics industry.
Since M&P Logistics’ headquarters is located within the City of Florence’s jurisdiction, the city council has final authority for approval of the proposal. The recommendation of approval will be heard by the legislative body at an upcoming city council meeting.
