Council approves Pine Hill Elementary additions, variance and easement vacation

The Cottage Grove City Council approved a series of resolutions on Sept. 17 to allow multiple additions and associated site work at Pine Hill Elementary School, 9015 Hadley Avenue South. Actions included vacating certain easements, approving a conditional-use permit for the school in a residential zoning district, granting a variance for a classroom addition to encroach within the required 50-foot setback, and approving site-plan review for approximately 13,300 square feet of building additions and associated site work.

Kelly Becker, the city’s associate planner, told the council the Pine Hill property totals about 13.62 acres across two parcels and is guided as public/semi-public in the city’s 2040 comprehensive plan. The proposal includes a six-classroom addition with an internal storm shelter area, a small gymnasium addition and a small enclosed freezer for the kitchen; the project also includes interior renovations to special education classrooms, accessibility updates and long-term maintenance work.

Becker said the northeast classroom addition would sit about 38.5 feet from the north property line, less than the 50-foot setback in city code; the existing special education portion of the building…