Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Design Variance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Plan Commission approves exterior-design variance for Hangar Bar addition at 1485 W. 20th Ave.
Summary
Commission approved a variance allowing corrugated metal siding on an enclosed patio addition at The Hangar Bar and Grill after staff and the applicant said the material fits the aviation-themed aesthetic and is mostly out of public view.
The City of Oshkosh Plan Commission on Feb. 4 approved an exterior design-standards variance for an enclosed addition at 1485 West 20th Avenue that used vertically oriented corrugated metal siding rather than matching the building’s decorative concrete-block façade.
Planning staff told the commission the site is a 1.55-acre lot that houses The Hangar Bar and Grill and that an outdoor canopy installed under a 2022 commercial building permit had later been enclosed with garage-style doors and converted to a building addition. Staff said inspections showed the addition used corrugated metal siding, which does not match the existing decorative concrete block. Staff recommended approval of a variance, noting the addition is at the rear of the building and largely out of the public realm.
Susan Hirshberg, representing RH Design Build, said the "corrugated metal panels were intentionally used because that material is typically found with aircraft hangars, and that is the theme of the establishment, the hangar." Lisa Marshall, owner of The Hangar, said the enclosure was done after repeated break-ins into the outdoor space: "I still regret having to enclose it," Marshall said, adding the enclosure was intended as a security measure after coolers were broken into multiple times.
Planning staff confirmed that any required building permits that were not yet issued must be obtained, including plumbing or other code-related permits. Commissioners asked whether the material choice would have been handled differently during a normal permitting process; staff replied that a design standards variance would have been required and flagged at permit review.
After questions from commissioners and one brief statement from the applicant team, the commission voted 8-0 to adopt the findings and staff recommendations approving the variance.
The approval allows the existing enclosed space to remain as constructed with corrugated metal siding; staff retained a requirement that necessary building permits be obtained if they have not yet been issued.
