Montgomery trustees reject ordinance to allow eight-bay loading facility downtown

The Village of Montgomery Board of Trustees voted 0–5 to reject Ordinance 21-52, which would have enacted a planning commission-approved variance to allow an eight-bay loading facility at 420 North Main Street.

Planning staff told the board the Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval of PCC 2025-018 with conditions that the facility operate only from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and that perimeter shrubs be at least five feet tall. “The petitioner is seeking a variance to construct an 8 bay loading facility,” planning staff said when introducing the case.

Several trustees said the proposed use did not fit the board’s long-term vision for downtown and raised traffic-safety concerns. Trustee Geier said she was “not in favor” and added, “I don’t like the additional truck traffic. I don’t like the fact that trucks are gonna have to back in off the roadway.” Another trustee noted that seven houses sit adjacent to the property and questioned the appropriateness of locating eight truck bays in that context.

The board first voted to accept the planning commission’s recommendation, approving that procedural step 5–0. When members moved to waive the first reading and approve Ordinance 21-52 on the second reading, the motion failed on a roll call of 0–5.

Because the enacting ordinance failed, the variance will not become law under the current action. The planning commission’s recommendation and the conditions it listed remain on the record; future proposals or revised applications would need to return to the board and planning commission for further consideration.