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Council hears two conditional‑use proposals: a popsicle shop at 5900 W. Burnham and Fork Farms hydroponics at Makers Row
Summary
City planning staff described two conditional‑use public hearings: Palletia Yayo, a small ice‑pop production and café at 5900 W. Burnham, and Fork Farms, a hydroponic production use proposed for Makers Row at 6601 W. National; both had plan commission recommendations for approval and no public objections were recorded at the hearings.
City planning staff briefed the common council on two separate conditional‑use applications during the June 16 meeting.
Steve Sher, director of city planning, described the first proposal — Palletia Yayo — as a food‑production and retail conversion of a former jewelry store at 5900 W. Burnham. Sher said the ground floor is roughly 2,000 square feet with a single upstairs apartment; the applicant plans interior renovations, minor sign and lighting updates, about 18 indoor seats plus a roughly seven‑seat popsicle bar, and a small stage for occasional cultural performances. Sher told the council the business would operate daily, with food production beginning at 7 a.m. and retail hours through midnight, and that the plan commission has recommended approval; property owners within 200 feet were notified and no objections had been received at the time of the hearing.
Sher then presented a second conditional‑use request for Fork Farms at 6601 W. National in the Makers Row campus. He said the proposal would dedicate about 5,000 square feet to indoor hydroponic production using modular grow units and estimated roughly 34,000 pounds of leafy greens per year. Sher described potential educational programming, partnership opportunities with the nearby farmers market and a production schedule that would generally run weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. with occasional weekend or evening work. He said Fork Farms expects a small delivery profile (up to two small box trucks per week) and staffing of roughly four people in the farm area and up to 15 in back‑office roles, noting that 15 is not expected to be on site at once. The plan commission recommended approval for Fork Farms; Sher reported no public comments or objections at the hearing.
Neither conditional‑use application produced public opposition during the hearing portion at this meeting, and council members asked only clarifying questions (for example, about whether the Palletia Yayo upstairs apartment would be rented; Sher said it would be renovated and rented as a single unit). Council did not take a final vote on either conditional‑use permit during the June 16 session; staff noted that the plan commission had recommended approval and that required public notices and owner notifications had been completed.
Both proposals, if approved through the council or required administrative steps, would add small‑scale food production and neighborhood retail or education uses to downtown West Allis.
