Planning commission approves special-use permit for Montessori preschool at 430 West Chicago Street

The Coldwater Planning Commission on July 22 approved a special-use permit allowing Natasha Powell to convert a former chapel at 430 West Chicago Street into a licensed child care center for preschool-age children. The commission approved the permit with conditions requiring a single ADA-accessible parking pad and a fenced outdoor play area; the motion explicitly excluded a requirement that the applicant add exterior lighting.

Commission members voted after a staff presentation describing the proposal and site requirements. Planning staff said the applicant proposes to convert the roughly 1,300-square-foot former chapel into a licensed child care facility and to make interior improvements and add an outdoor play area. “This property is located within the C-1 Central Business District, and is required to have a special use permit, per section 3.17(c),” staff…