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Planning commission approves 4,715-square-foot addition behind Bueter Drug at 633 Hancock Street
Summary
The Sandusky Planning Commission approved a 4,715-square-foot addition to the Bueter Drug property at 633 Hancock Street, granting a waiver of some parking requirements and attaching standard permitting conditions; the project includes a production clean room and a relocated dumpster, staff recommended design suggestions but left them optional.
The Sandusky Planning Commission on May 28 approved a site plan allowing a 4,715-square-foot addition to the Bueter Drug property at 633 Hancock Street.
Miss Blair, city planning staff, told the commission the proposal from Fox Architectural on behalf of 633 Hancock Street LLC would add about 4,715 square feet behind the existing corner store and create three new employee parking spaces to the north of the building. The proposed addition is split roughly into 2,000 square feet of storage and 2,600 square feet of business use; staff said the addition meets setback, area and height code requirements but that, by code, the expanded building would normally require 33 parking spaces. The applicant proposes 23 spaces; staff recommended approval and noted the commission has authority to waive the additional parking.
"They're trying to make the facility function better for them," Joshua Fox, the architect representing the owner, said, adding that relocation of the dumpster and the new employee parking would allow the production side to operate from a single, contained area. Fox described the new interior as a clean room and said that side of the facility would be employee-only, not open to the public.
Owner Matt Booter said the business conducts sterile processing and research and development, including clinical trials with larger institutions, and described the aesthetic goal as "old and new"—preserving the historic corner drugstore facade while building a modern production facility behind it. "We wanted the new building to kinda look new, high-tech," Booter said, while maintaining the historic storefront as the visible centerpiece.
Commissioners asked about lighting, dumpster screening, windows and how the addition would affect parking. Commissioner Mike Zulof expressed concerns about waste handling and preferred screening for dumpsters and dark-sky-compliant fixtures; the applicant said the proposed north-side wall packs are downward-facing. Miss Blair said the design suggestions (for example, adding shutters or a color stripe to better align with the historic façade) were staff commentary, not mandatory requirements.
Commissioner David Miller moved to approve the site plan subject to staff conditions requiring that all applicable permits be obtained through the building and engineering departments and that the applicant address applicable agency requirements prior to construction; Jim Jackson seconded. The motion passed on roll call. The approval is conditioned on obtaining the required permits and complying with any other applicable agency requirements; staff recommended the applicant consider, but is not required to adopt, the design and dumpster-screening suggestions.
The commission did not require the full 33 parking spaces called for by code and accepted the applicant's proposed parking count of 23. Construction timelines and contractor details were discussed briefly; the owner said a contractor has been selected and that the company plans to expand staffing modestly.
Next steps: the applicant must secure building and engineering permits and any other applicable approvals before beginning construction.
