WESTBROOK – A Westbrook warehouse and auto parts store is looking to expand its property on Larrabee Road, possibly leading to an expanding workforce.

“We sure hope so,” said Paul Ferrien, operations manager at Genuine Parts Co., which owns a NAPA Auto Parts retail store and distribution center at 180 Larrabee Road.

Ferrien said it was too early to tell just how much, if at all, the company would be expanding on the 130 people it employs in Westbrook.

“This is still in proposal right now,” he said.

The proposal will come before the Planning Board at its next meeting, scheduled for April 3. According to a copy of the proposal filed in the city’s Planning Office, the company is re-applying for permits it first received in 2009.

City Administrator Jerre Bryant said the proposal has been held up by discussions among the company, the city, and the state Department of Transportation over access from Larrabee Road onto the property.

“(Genuine Parts) had a couple of different ideas on how to improve site access,” Bryant said.

Now, Bryant said, the company has worked out the details. The company has also acquired another adjacent, unused 1-acre parcel from Westbrook Housing, to add some green space to the proposal.

“It’s a good, solid project,” Bryant said. “They have a good track record at that location.”

According to the proposal, the company sits on about 4 acres. Its existing building has a footprint of about 75,000 square feet, but, Ferrien said, the building is two stories tall and has a total size of about 130,000 square feet. It was first built in the early 1980s and expanded in 1993, according to the proposal.

Ferrien said the distribution center supplies all NAPA stores in Maine, some in Vermont, and some in New Hampshire, but he declined to say exactly how many. The company bought an adjoining 2-acre lot some time ago, and now plans to use it for the expansion.

“Business has always been good,” Ferrien said. “We expect to continue to grow.”

According to the proposal, the new lot has about 18,000 square feet of buildings already on it. Ferrien said this week that the lot contains three buildings, which have housed various businesses, but are now vacant.

Most recently, Enterprise Rent-A-Car moved from that location to its new home at 140 Larrabee Road. The rental company moved into what used to be Norman-David Mercury, before the dealership closed in August 2011 after 20 years in business.

Ferrien said it was not clear how or if the buildings would fit into the expansion plan.