Plan Commission approves contractor space at 225 E. Nevada and parking changes for adjacent apartment site

Oshkosh — The Oshkosh Plan Commission voted unanimously on May 6 to allow indoor and outdoor contractor uses at 225 East Nevada Avenue and to approve a related parking modification for the adjacent 56-unit south parcel, actions the city said will repurpose a previously vacant building and preserve one parking stall per apartment unit.

City staff told the commission the subject site comprises two parcels totaling about 5.2 acres with frontages on East Custer Avenue, Grand Street, East Nevada Avenue and Harrison Street. The north parcel contains an existing building the applicant proposes to renovate for indoor contractor workspace, additional warehousing and a fenced outdoor storage yard; the west end of the building includes about 4,000 square feet of area to be rebuilt for office and warehouse use, city staff said.

The applicant, Dan Hickey of Hickey Roofing, told the commission the outdoor area will be used mostly for a dumpster and a couple of dump trailers and said, "otherwise, we do have a couple dump trailers that we'll put in there. Otherwise, there isn't really a ton that will be out there." Hickey said vehicles and most equipment will be stored inside.

Staff said the proposed indoor and outdoor storage uses are not permitted in the site's UMU zoning district and that a zoning exception is required for the proposed fencing and storage. The plan shows 8-foot slanted chain-link fencing to screen outdoor storage from public view and a 6-foot solid wood fence extending into the front yard along Harrison Street; staff said the applicant is providing additional yard landscaping that exceeds requirements and helps screen the storage area.

Because the north parcel will no longer provide parking for the south parcel's apartments (noted in staff materials as the Wade Road Apartments), staff also presented a specific implementation plan amendment for the southern site at 300 East Custer Avenue. City code requires a minimum of one parking space per dwelling unit plus one guest space per four units (a minimum of 70 spaces for a 56-unit building); staff said site limitations left 52 existing spaces available if no changes were made. The applicant revised the layout by relocating a garbage truck turnaround and swapping handicap stall locations to gain four spaces, producing a total of 56 on-site stalls — one per unit — and staff recommended approval of the modification while noting on-street parking along East Custer Avenue can accommodate guest parking.

Plan Commissioner Propp commented positively on the proposed renovation, saying the existing building "is the definition of an eyesore" and thanked the applicant for cleaning it up. Following discussion the commission moved to "adopt the findings and recommendations as stated in the staff report." Roll call votes were recorded as unanimous; item 1 and item 2 each passed 7-0.

The approvals require the applicant and owner to comply with the conditions listed in the staff report. Staff said a shared parking agreement for the north and south parcels will need to be executed and filed with the register of deeds. The commission opened public comment on both items; no members of the public spoke during the hearings.

The actions will allow the owner to renovate the existing building with brick veneer, metal panels, new overhead doors and windows consistent with the city's design standards and to implement the screened outdoor storage area and new access from East Nevada Avenue, subject to the conditions in the staff report.