Forsyth County Commissioners have cleared the way for the expansion of a local auto dealership.

At their meeting on Thursday, Feb. 2, commissioners approved a conditional-use permit and an alternate design for a planned expansion of Troncalli Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram and Troncalli Subaru.

“This is an existing car dealership,” said Sean Courtney, a zoning attorney representing the development, “and they’re looking to renovate the existing exterior to their building and also add some additions.”

The permit was approved to build a 25,535-square-foot expansion of the dealership. Once the addition is built, the dealership will have a total of 77,728 square feet with 387 parking spaces on about 19 acres.

According to documents submitted with the plan, there are proposals for a potential future parts storage building totaling 10,400 square feet, a proposed 8,880-square-foot detail and truck center and expansion of a service shop at the Subaru dealership, which will begin the building to a total of 3,980 square feet.

The plans also call for improvements to the existing dealerships, including a new 1,355-square-foot quick lube site at Troncalli Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram.

Courtney said landscaping for the project could be impacted by the planned widening of Hwy. 9 and the proposal included conditions that the owner would work with the area’s commissioner on landscaping when the project is done.

Variances requested for the permit include reducing some buffers with neighboring properties, changes to landscaping and reducing the number of required bicycle parking spaces.

“A good number of these, most of these requests, are to simply accommodate its existing footprint,” said District 5 Commissioner Laura Semanson, who represents the area. “We’re not really looking at coming into any areas that are not already disturbed.”

The alternate design approval requested variances to reduce the minimum percentage of exterior building materials per vertical wall plane from 70% to zero and to increase the maximum percentage of accent materials per vertical wall plane from 30% to 100%.

Both items were approved by commissioners 5-0.

Courtney was the only speaker during a required public hearing.