Walker planning commission approves site plan for 90,000-square-foot industrial building

The Walker Planning Commission on March 4 approved the final area site plan for a 90,000-square-foot light-industrial building proposed by Honey Crisp Ventures, subject to standard plan-submission conditions.

Planning Director Paula told commissioners the resubmitted plan set meets zoning requirements for use, setbacks, parking, loading, landscaping and lighting and that the master plan designates the site as ‘enterprise.’ She noted the site is heavily encumbered by multiple easements and overhead utility lines that limit what can be built and where trees may be planted; staff also received a letter from ITC approving parking and landscaping under those overhead lines, Paula said.

“Given all of these various easements, I view this as a unique case and a creative use of that restricted space,” Paula said. Her presentation oriented the commission to the site’s access points—primary access aligning with Shippers Drive and additional access on Northridge Drive—and summarized staff review findings.

City Engineer Scott Connors recommended a 10-foot turnout at the southern end of the proposed parking lot to allow safer vehicle maneuvering in the long dead-end area and said the fire department was comfortable with the proposed southern access and coverage of the building’s four corners. “The way that they worked this out, they’ve got coverage of all four corners and they’ve taken care of the fire protection locations,” Connors said.

Applicant representative Justin Longstrap, a civil engineer, described the proposal as “a straightforward plan” and confirmed no tenants have been signed; he said roughly 10 feet of grade change between the nearby cul-de-sac and the site made an access connection impractical. “It’s a 90,000-square-foot light-industrial, multi-tenant building,” Longstrap said.

Commissioners discussed whether the cul-de-sac could be connected to the site, sightlines, snow storage and grading constraints. They also raised landscaping concerns for a steep east-side grade; staff clarified that “mowable” slopes are generally one-on-three and that steeper slopes will need ground cover that does not require mowing.

Commissioner Elena moved to approve the final area site plan (case referenced in the hearing as 26-005; the motion text in the record also transcribed as '260005') for the property identified in the application and included conditions requiring the applicant to provide two sets of sealed civil engineering plans incorporating the recommended conditions to the community development department prior to issuance of building permits. The motion was supported and carried on a voice vote; no roll-call tallies were recorded in the transcript.

Next steps: staff will require submission of the sealed civil plans and the applicant must satisfy the motion’s conditions before building permits are issued. Signage for future tenants was described as allowed under the zoning district and would not routinely return to the commission for approval, according to staff.

The commission also approved routine minutes and adjourned; staff announced the next meeting on March 18 will be a joint working session with the city commission and the zoning board of appeals to review a large residential planned-unit development proposal off Richmond Street.