Planning Commission recommends approval for 4200 PV Road warehouse and screened outdoor storage

The Chaska Planning Commission on Jan. 14 recommended that the City Council approve preliminary site and building plans and a zoning amendment allowing limited screened outdoor storage at 4200 PV Road, a .74‑acre vacant lot near the Chaska–Chanhassen border.

Staff told commissioners the application, submitted by Shaw Construction, is the second step in the city’s three‑step review process. The proposal is for a single office/warehouse building of roughly 22,400 square feet with two tenants and an enclosed outdoor storage area of about 10,600 square feet screened by an 8‑foot fence and landscaping. Staff said the property was previously approved in 2005 for a multi‑building proposal that was never built and noted the site’s P8 zoning currently prohibits outdoor storage along Highway 41, so an amendment to the P8 district is required.

Why it matters: The site fronts a major corridor (Highway 41) and the requested zoning change would allow outdoor storage in a zone where it is currently prohibited. Staff recommended approval, conditioned on resolving several technical items before permitting.

Staff described the project’s key technical details and outstanding items. The project includes approximately 76 parking stalls (24 to be constructed now, the remainder shown as proof of parking), about 300 square feet of wetland fill for parking expansion, and removal of 13 of the site’s 14 trees with proposed landscape replacement designed to screen storage from the highway. Staff said the outdoor storage area was reduced from earlier concept plans (from ~11,700 to ~10,600 sq ft) and that stored materials would be limited to not exceed the 8‑foot fence height. Staff identified four items to resolve before a final permit: easement vacation/dedication paperwork, a minor one‑foot parking setback adjustment, agreement or dissolution of an existing cross‑access easement with the southern neighbor, and a swap of certain elm species so the landscaping plan meets overstory tree requirements.

During the public hearing, tenant representative Mike Wickenhauser (Crimson Copper Plumbing) explained the decision to build one larger building rather than two smaller ones as driven by operational needs and confirmed that the outdoor storage area would be locked after hours and lit with ground‑facing fixtures. "We're going to have sight lighting so that area will be lit up," Wickenhauser said, adding the lighting would be oriented to avoid excessive glare.

Commissioners expressed support for screening and limiting stored materials to the height of the fence. Following the hearing, commissioners made two motions — one to recommend approval of the preliminary site and building plans and a separate motion to recommend approval of the P8 ordinance amendment to allow the limited, screened outdoor storage — each subject to the conditions listed in the staff report. Both motions were seconded and passed by voice vote; the recommendation will go to the City Council for its Jan. 26 meeting.

Next steps: The Planning Commission’s recommendations will be forwarded to Chaska City Council on Jan. 26. Staff will continue working with the applicant to resolve the four technical conditions before a final site and building permit is issued.