Planning Commission OKs S and S Petroleum office at 255 Depot Street despite neighborhood parking concerns

The Fairview Planning Commission voted to approve site design review, a conditional use permit and a class B variance for S and S Petroleum’s proposed 15,000‑square‑foot, two‑story office building at 255 Depot Street.

Alex Lopez, planning staff for the City of Fairview, told the commission the application met the city’s development standards and that staff “can recommend approval of this application, provided that all of the conditions of approval are met.” The commission voted to approve the project by roll call.

The project, as described by the applicant’s team, would place a two‑story office and an enclosed parking garage along Depot Street. Jeff Brumondiel, principal with Livermore Architecture and Engineering, said the building will house administrative operations for SMS Petroleum (also referred to in the hearing as S and S Petroleum) and that the owners estimate “15 employees” initially; the firm said additional executive and amenity space accounts for the building’s size. Project architect Philip Hitzenbarber noted site landscaping and a bioswale as part of the design.

Staff testimony and plans show the building will be about 32 feet tall, located roughly 10 feet from the front (Depot Street) property line and about 45 feet from the east property line on First Street. The submission includes 27 vehicle parking spaces (five inside the proposed garage), 10 long‑term bicycle stalls and four short‑term stalls. A traffic trip generation report submitted with the application estimated 17 peak‑hour trips in the morning, 17 in the evening and about 124 average weekday trips.

The class B variance requested reduction in the city’s long‑term bicycle parking requirement. Lopez told commissioners that because the site is more than a half‑mile from the frequent transit corridor and because the area lacks extensive bike infrastructure, staff found the proposed 10 long‑term and four short‑term bike spaces adequate for the site.

Multiple residents raised questions during the public hearing about how the proposed development would affect parking near Fairview Elementary School. Laurie Bennett of 60 Depot Street asked whether the building would house multiple companies and why a 15,000‑square‑foot building was proposed for about 15 employees. Nearby resident Rob Carlson and his wife Brooke said the parcel has long been used informally by school staff for 15–25 cars, and said the change could worsen congestion during school pick‑up and drop‑off times.

A representative who identified himself as an employee of Clancy Transport said trucks currently use a fenced area on the property for company vehicles and said neither the company nor its tenants had expected the site to be redeveloped. Applicant representative Rod Schreckengost said he would look into lease details and offered to provide information to staff.

Lopez and the applicant team said the frontage improvements required by the city — a new sidewalk, planter strip and street trees along Depot Street — will replace an informal parking arrangement along the property line and that much of the existing on‑street parking appears to be occurring on the property owner’s land rather than in the public right of way. Jeff Brumondiel said the applicant’s team believes the east side of the lot is the best operational location for the building and that the existing west side of the site would continue to serve operations while the new building occupies the east side.

Commissioners acknowledged neighborhood concerns but said the application met the applicable Fairview development code criteria — including site design, access and circulation, landscaping and conditional use standards — and that options for resolving the school parking arrangement are a separate question involving the school district. The commission’s approval included the conditions of approval recommended by staff.

The applicant did not provide a firm construction schedule; the team told the commission the earliest construction might begin would be toward the end of the year, subject to completion of detailed design and building permits.

Votes at a glance: The Planning Commission approved the application to allow construction of the 15,000‑square‑foot, two‑story office, a conditional use permit for office use in the light industrial zone, and a class B variance reducing required long‑term bicycle parking. The motion was seconded and approved by roll call.