Planning staff recommends, and commission forwards, 16,777‑sqft school addition at 7900 Nicholson Road

Planning staff told the commission the applicant proposes a roughly 16,777-square-foot southeast addition to the existing school building at 7900 Nicholson Road, along with exterior site improvements including an extended parking lot. The staff presentation stated the addition complies with the village design guidelines for building materials and entrances and that the parking plan provides 183 spaces (173 standard spaces and 10 ADA-compliant spaces). "And in accordance with the village's design guidelines, dumpster areas mechanical equipment must be screened to minimize visual impact," the planning staff said, and recommended screening ground mechanical equipment facing a neighboring property.

Staff also flagged landscaping and lighting items for revision: the site has approximately 937 feet of Nicholson Road frontage, requiring 19 street trees by the one-tree-per-50-feet guideline but the applicant proposed 16; a photometric plan meets the 0.5 foot-candle lot-line limit overall but two proposed fixtures described as flood lights do not comply with the village standard (staff recommended approval of those fixtures on the basis they face building facades and would not face neighboring properties). After the presentation a commissioner moved to recommend approval of the building addition and exterior improvements subject to conditions outlined in Exhibit A; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. The commission’s recommendation will go to the village board, and staff noted required follow-ups (stormwater and grading approvals, and a traffic impact analysis).