East Troy planners recommend approvals for Honey Creek storage upgrades, set design conditions

The Village of East Troy Plan Commission recommended that the Village Board approve amendments to the Honey Creek Plan Development District to permit electrical service and climate-controlled units in specified storage buildings and approved the final development plan with conditions, including architectural and safety requirements.

Oren, the village planning staff member, told commissioners the existing plan development standard (citing the plan’s personal storage facilities section) currently prohibits running electrical power to storage units except for lighting. He said the amendment would add a table permitting climate control and electrical service in certain portions of Buildings 17–20 and would clarify that Buildings 11 and 12 are climate-controlled with 66 units each. "One of those standards for personal storage facilities says no electric power shall be run to the storage facilities except for lighting," Oren said, explaining why the GDP amendment was necessary.

Paul Van Hinkleman, agent for Toronto Builders, said the developer is seeking an "upper end" self-storage product for RVs, boats and oversized vehicles and wants to pre-wire some additional buildings so future conversions could be made without extensive rework. "We're looking for the upper end market... we think there's a demand," Paul said. He asked that the commission permit pre-wiring or conduit installation now, with the understanding that new electrical connections would still require permits and inspections.

Commissioners and staff discussed how to allow pre-construction of wiring while preserving local permitting controls. Oren and other commissioners said conduit or underground wiring can be installed now but any future activation of service would require building and electrical permits; Oren recommended specifying the number of units to be covered by the GDP amendment and said any other future conversions should come back through a final development plan/site-plan review if they change the site or exterior.

On site design, staff and the applicant described several changes in the final development plan: a permanent driveway entrance on Honey Creek Road, added pavement to support oversized-unit access, an overall unit increase from 340 to 396 (an increase of 56 units largely from Buildings 11 and 12 being redesigned as climate-controlled), new architectural materials including cultured stone on front elevations and a standing-seam metal roof with a copper color finish, and security measures including a 6-foot perimeter fence and three automatic security gates with Knox Box access for fire response. Oren said the developer agreed to full-cutoff lighting and that a final photometric plan will be required prior to issuance of a building permit.

Public-safety concerns focused on fire access. The developer described three 4-by-4 emergency gates and nearby hydrants that the fire department could access; the fire chief said the grade would not hamper access and indicated the layout addressed previous fire-department concerns.

The commission debated fence material and character of the site. Staff recommended an ornamental metal fence along the east and north lot lines to better match the business-park character; the developer preferred retaining the previously ordered black vinyl-coated chain-link fence for security reasons. The commission ultimately included a condition requiring installation of a 6-foot ornamental metal fence along the eastern and northern lot lines in lieu of a black vinyl-coated chain-link fence, subject to review by the zoning administrator.

The plan commission voted to recommend Village Board approval of the GDP amendment (Application 2025-26) and approved the final development-plan amendment (Application 2025-18) subject to the staff-recommended conditions (including the buffer-yard waiver, final lighting/photometric approval, permitting requirements, and the fence condition). Staff noted that building permits, electrical permits, and any site or building changes remain subject to standard inspections and approvals before units could be activated.

The commission’s recommendation now goes to the Village Board for final action; building permits and electrical permits will be required before any additional units are connected to electrical service.