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Shakopee board approves permit for van storage at Valley Industrial Boulevard site
Summary
The Shakopee Board of Adjustment and Appeals approved a conditional use permit allowing exterior storage of passenger vans for Palmer bus operations at 4000 Valley Industrial Boulevard South, with conditions including landscaping and a prohibition on large commercial vehicles; the vote was unanimous.
The Shakopee Board of Adjustment and Appeals on a unanimous vote approved a conditional use permit allowing exterior storage of passenger vans at 4000 Valley Industrial Boulevard South, subject to landscaping and limits on vehicle types.
Planning staff summarized the proposal as a request to use a two‑acre, I‑2 zoned site owned by Valley IOS LLC for storage of vans for Palmer, a contractor providing special‑needs transportation for the Shakopee school district and neighboring communities. Staff said the site plan shows roughly a 5,000‑square‑foot expansion of an existing parking area, additional screening along Canterbury Road and the south side, and a proposed 1,000‑gallon above‑ground fuel tank for which a fire department permit will be required. Staff recommended approval, with conditions that landscaping be installed before outdoor storage begins and that storage be limited to passenger vans — excluding large commercial vehicles, raw materials and large equipment.
"We're prepared to install the landscape as early as Monday," applicant representative Victoria Pervix told the board, thanking planning staff for help with the application. Brian, the Palmer operations representative, told commissioners that maintenance and repairs would occur offsite at Palmer's main maintenance facility and that no yellow school buses would be stored at the Valley Industrial site. "Those vans will be carrying children. Yes," he said when asked whether the vehicles would transport students.
During board questions, the applicant estimated capacity at about 25 vans inside the building and roughly 18 additional vans parked outside overnight; the operation employs about 40 part‑time drivers. The applicant acknowledged a prior "miscommunication" that resulted in some vans being routed to the site before the permit process was complete; the board raised no enforcement concerns beyond the permit conditions.
Commissioner [name recorded in roll call] moved to adopt resolution PC 2025‑Z005 to approve the conditional use permit with the stated conditions; the motion was seconded and passed by roll call with all recorded commissioners voting in favor. The resolution limits exterior storage to passenger vans, prohibits storage of large commercial vehicles, equipment or raw materials, and requires landscaping to be installed prior to storing vans outdoors.
The board then adjourned and the Planning Commission convened for routine business, approving its agenda and noting no interested citizens; the commissions moved to adjourn to Oct. 9.
Details: the application covers a two‑acre parcel at 4000 Valley Industrial Boulevard South, includes approximately 5,000 square feet of added parking, a proposed 1,000‑gallon above‑ground fuel tank (fire permit required), an interior capacity of about 25 vans, about 18 vans expected to be parked outside overnight, and an employment level of roughly 40 part‑time drivers. Service and repairs will occur at Palmer's separate maintenance facility; the permit prohibits outdoor storage of large equipment or raw materials.
