Plan Commission clears Johnson Bank certified survey map and site plan for 5901 Durand Ave.

The Village of Mount Pleasant Plan Commission on May 21 recommended approval of a certified survey map to combine and redivide four lots at 5901 Durand Avenue into three commercial parcels and approved the site plan for a new Johnson Bank branch on the reconfigured C3 lot.

Village planning staff presented the CSM and associated site plan, saying the applicant proposes to merge and rearrange the existing four lots into three conventional lots and to construct a new roughly 5,000‑square‑foot bank building with a multi‑lane drive‑through. "The applicant applied to merge and rearrange the existing 4 lots into 3 conventional lots," staff said during the presentation. The commission voted to forward the CSM to the Village Board and approved site plan SP‑25‑06.

Staff told commissioners the CSM reflects a recent zoning map amendment that rezoned portions of the property to C3 (intended for the proposed bank) and C2. Staff noted several outstanding conditions the applicant must address before final CSM recording, including showing sizes of existing sanitary and storm sewers, recording necessary easements and confirming access control. On the site plan, staff flagged a 50‑foot setback from Durand Avenue for parking and a requirement for a sidewalk along Elmwood Drive; the applicant indicated it will pursue alternative compliance for the sidewalk or pay an in‑lieu fee. "That came to us as a surprise, and would require a pretty, probably a pretty big rework of what the site plan looks like," a commissioner said of the 50‑foot setback; staff said the setback is a village requirement.

Developer representative Eric Oates of the Redmond Company described the proposed bank design and site layout. "With Johnson Financial Group being in the area for 50 years, we wanted to show a building that showed they were serious about maintaining the relationship with the community and staying in the area," Oates said. He told the commission the project includes three drive‑through lanes (one convertible to an ATM) and 43 parking stalls sized to accommodate community functions after hours.

Staff raised site‑layout technical issues for follow up: parking stall and drive‑aisle dimensions (9 x 18 stalls, 24‑foot aisle), potential need for a variance or future code amendment to allow flexibility, and landscape plan revisions to meet canopy‑tree requirements (the initial plan had more than 50 percent ornamental trees). Staff also provided a fiscal estimate: an estimated taxable value per acre of $2,800,000, an existing improvement value of $1,100,000 and land value of $466,000; staff estimated the new 5,000‑square‑foot bank would have an improvement value of $1,700,000 and that the rezoning/reconfiguration would raise the site's financial performance, with an estimated gain or loss figure reported as $1,200,000 in the staff memo.

Commission discussion touched on a small gap in the CSM legal descriptions. Commissioners asked the developer to have the surveyor and title company research the gap; staff characterized that as a separate private title issue not material to the pending applications but recommended the applicant investigate and report back. A resident who identified himself as Brent Hess noted the building roof will not carry mechanical equipment, a detail he raised in support of the proposed parapet design.

The commission voted to forward the CSM to the Village Board for approval and approved the site plan subject to the corrections and conditions listed by staff. The CSM will proceed to the Village Board; the site plan approval was granted by the Plan Commission and will be handled at the staff/site plan level going forward.

The approvals include follow‑up tasks the applicant must complete before final platting and building permit issuance, including resolving easement and utility sizing details, submitting a revised landscape plan to increase canopy trees, clarifying parking geometry or pursuing a variance, and documenting sidewalk compliance or payment in lieu.