Commission forwards 7 Mile Fair storage addition and cooperative boundary question to village board

Planning staff recommended denial of the proposal to add a 5,700-square-foot addition to a cold-storage building at 2720 West 7 Mile Road (7 Mile Fair property), saying the application does not meet multiple Exhibit K design standards — including street-edge landscaping, four-sided architecture, building materials and massing/height — and that the site plan and narrative did not adequately identify the addition or property boundaries. "...the site plan is not clearly identifying the addition, the property boundaries, and other required site features," the staff member said, and concluded staff was recommending denial as presented.

Commissioners debated whether the plan commission should make a firm recommendation or forward the matter to the village board, with one staff member stating, "If this was on the Caledonia side, we would have rejected this and not even have presented it to the plan commission," and noting there is a discretionary 0.75 waiver for materials in limited cases. The applicant in the audience told the commission the addition is simply an extension of the existing steel building, argued rooftop mechanicals will not be installed, and said street-edge landscaping is constrained by existing parking and right-of-way. The commission ultimately voted to forward the cooperative boundary agreement/design to the village board for review rather than issue a final approval or denial.

Provenance: Staff presentation begins at SEG 219; referral motion and vote occur at SEG 604–SEG 612.