Commission recommends mixed approval for Cradle building-design variances; council to decide June 2

The Jasper City Planning Commission voted on four separate variance requests from Cradle (applicant representatives Jennifer Mabry and Brian Newbury) for a proposed build-to-suit office, manufacturing and storage facility on roughly 7.74 acres near the intersection of Jeanette Drive and Hood Road.

Planning staff recommended denial of the variances, saying the application did not meet the city's variance criteria adopted in the 2023 building-design regulations. After public discussion, the commission approved three variances and denied one; the commission will forward its recommendation and the record to the City Council, which is scheduled to consider the final decision at a council meeting on Monday, June 2 at 6:00 p.m.

Cradle requested four variances from the city's building-design rules: (1) increase publicly visible metal cladding from 10% to 80% of visible façade area; (2) allow the use of stock pre‑engineered metal building skin on publicly visible facades (the applicant asked to use prohibited stock paneling); (3) reduce required masonry/veneer coverage on publicly visible façades from 35% to 6%; and (4) eliminate the requirement for fenestration (doors/windows) a minimum every 20 linear feet along the southeast building façade to permit a future…