Planning commission unanimously approves lighting-height exception for Boucher Ford parking expansion

The Menomonee Falls Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval on March 4 of a lighting exception requested by Boucher Ford to permit parking-lot light poles taller than allowed by the municipal code.

Planner Amy Bennett told the commission the applicant seeks exceptions tied to an expanded parking area at the dealership site (parcel Tax Key 48.9960.007 at N81W12900 Leon Road). Bennett said the proposal includes nine pole-mounted lights that would be 20 feet tall where the code allows a maximum height of about 8.2 feet at that setback, and one pole that would be 20 feet where the code allows about 18.1 feet. Staff recommended approval of the exception.

The commission opened the public hearing and, with no members of the public indicating a desire to speak, closed the hearing before taking action. Commissioner Chris Rollins moved to grant the exceptions as listed; Commissioner Paul Curtis seconded. The commission voted unanimously to recommend approval.

The motion as read into the record identified the two exceptions by setback and count: nine pole-mounted lights located about 15.5 feet from the Leon Road property line (exceeding an 8.2-foot maximum) and one pole-mounted light about 45.2 feet from the eastern property line (exceeding an 18.1-foot maximum). The transcript records the commission’s vote as unanimous; no members of the public registered opposition during the hearing.

The commission’s recommendation will be forwarded to the village board as the next step in municipal approvals. The action before the commission was limited to a lighting-height exception; any subsequent building or site-plan approvals would be separate processes and are not part of this vote.