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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes__________________________________ Plan Commission Minutes 1 December 5, 2023 PLAN COMMISSION MINUTES December 5, 2023 PRESENT: Margy Davey, Kathleen Propp, Meredith Scheuermann, Ed Bowen, Thomas Perry EXCUSED: Mamadou Coulibaly, Council Member Esslinger, DJ Nichols, Karl Loewenstein, John Kiefer STAFF: Mark Lyons, Planning Services Manager; Jeff Nau, Planner Chairperson Perry called the meeting to order at 4:02 pm. Roll call was taken and a quorum declared present. The minutes of November 21, 2023 were approved as presented. (Davey/Scheuermann) I. APPROVAL OF DESIGN ALTERATION REVIEW FOR FAÇADE MODIFICATIONS AT 220 NORTH MAIN STREET Site Inspections Report: Ms. Propp, Ms. Scheuermann, Mr. Bowen, Ms. Davey, and Mr. Perry reported visiting the site. Staff report accepted as part of the record. The applicant requests approval of a Design Alteration Review for façade modifications at 220 North Main Street, located within a Central Mixed Use Zoning District (CMU). Mr. Nau presented the items and reviewed the site and surrounding area as well as the land use and zoning classifications in this area. The subject area consists of a 0.21-acre commercial property located on the east side of North Main Street, south of Waugoo Avenue. The property includes a vacant two-story 15,042 sq. ft. mixed commercial/residential building, which was formerly Schultz’s Pharmacy. The property is zoned Central Mixed Use District (CMU) and the surrounding area consists of commercial and mixed uses. The 2040 Comprehensive Land Use Plan recommends Center City use for the subject area. The applicant is proposing renovations to the existing building to accommodate four 1-bedroom apartment units on the second floor of the building. At this time, there is no proposed use of the ground floor commercial space. The proposed renovation includes exterior changes to the west (North Main Street) side and east (alley) side of the building. These changes require design alteration review by Plan Commission. The proposed exterior façade renovations to the west facade will include the following: - Replacement of existing windows. - Removal of existing awning and installation of new canvas awning over the entrance. - Replacement of aluminum storefront glass system along the entire storefront. - New composite trim on top and ends of storefront. - Service window within the new storefront framing system. __________________________________ Plan Commission Minutes 2 December 5, 2023 According to the applicant, these renovations are being proposed to proactively maintain the aging facade. The updates are also intended to appeal to potential business tenants of the currently vacant commercial space. Staff is supportive of the proposed renovations to the west façade as they will serve to enhance the appearance of the façade and the updates will also prevent deterioration of the building. An encroachment agreement will be required for the awning as it extends over the public right-of-way. This will be addressed prior to building permit issuance. The proposed exterior renovations to the east facade will include the following: - Filling boarded windows with brick to match the facade. - Installation of new openings for new windows on upper floor. - New first floor door. - New window opening on upper floor of south-facing elevation. Staff is supportive of the proposed building façade alterations as they will be an overall improvement to the site. Staff recommends approval of a Design Alteration Review for building façade modifications as proposed. Mr. Perry opened up technical questions to staff. Mr. Bowen asked follow up questions on process for some of the façade alterations, functional aspects, and what aspects were in the purview of the Plan Commission. Mr. Lyons explained what the ordinance requires and what was all included on the Plan Commission submittal. Ms. Propp wondered if the property was a historic building. Mr. Lyons stated it is not. Mr. Perry opened the public hearing and asked if the applicant wanted to make any statements. Chet Wesenberg, 240 Algoma Blvd Suite A in Oshkosh, stated he had tried to get this recognized as a historic building. He made himself available for questions. Ms. Scheuermann asked if the building was habitable. Mr. Wesenberg stated it is not. Mr. Perry asked if other members of the public wished to speak. Mr. Perry closed public comments. There was no closing statement from the applicant. Motion by Propp to adopt the findings and recommendation as stated in the staff report. __________________________________ Plan Commission Minutes 3 December 5, 2023 Seconded by Scheuermann. Mr. Perry asked if there was any discussion on the motion. Motion carried 5-0 II. PUBLIC HEARING: CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT REQUEST FOR AN OUTDOOR STORAGE USE AT 2840 OREGON STREET Site Inspections Report: Ms. Propp, and Ms. Scheuermann reported visiting the site. Staff report accepted as part of the record. The applicant is requesting a Conditional Use Permit for conversion of a storage building to outdoor (open) storage at 2840 Oregon Street. Mr. Nau presented the items and reviewed the site and surrounding area as well as the land use and zoning classifications in this area. The subject site consists of a 1.34-acre parcel with frontage on Oregon Street, north of West. 29th Ave. The site is currently use for warehousing purposes and includes four structures and associated parking area. The 2040 Comprehensive Land Use Plan recommends Industrial Use for the site. The site is surrounded by commercial and industrial uses as well as an active railroad immediately to the east. The applicant is proposing to remove the roof from the quonset hut style building, located along the east property line. The approximately 8’ high cast-in-place concrete walls will remain. According to the applicant the building is used for storage and does not have any existing plumbing. The modifications to the building are intended to allow for storage of pallets. No changes to the site layout, operations, traffic, and number of employees are expected. The current use of the building is indoor storage, which is permitted in the HI district. With removal of the roof, the stored items within the remaining walls will be considered outdoor storage, which requires a Conditional Use Permit in the HI district. Staff does not have concerns with the proposed outdoor storage request as the items will remain within a code-compliant enclosure (8’ solid walls/fencing). Also, the building is located to the rear of the site and is not highly visible from the street frontage. Staff recommends approval of the proposed Conditional Use Permit for an outdoor storage use at 2840 Oregon Street as proposed with the findings listed above. Mr. Perry opened up technical questions to staff. Ms. Davey questioned the building at the north side of the property, and its close proximity to the neighboring building. Mr. Nau stated there is a zero-foot setback with the neighboring building. __________________________________ Plan Commission Minutes 4 December 5, 2023 Mr. Perry opened the public hearing and asked if the applicant wanted to make any statements. Tim Maertz, of RMA Architects Inc at 1050 South Grider Street in Appleton, is representing the applicant and owner. He made himself available for questions. Mr. Bowen asked what business is on site. Mr. Maertz stated they manufacture pallets. Mr. Perry asked if other members of the public wished to speak. Mr. Perry closed public comments. There was no closing statement from the applicant. Motion by Propp to adopt the findings and recommendation as stated in the staff report. Seconded by Scheuermann. Mr. Perry asked if there was any discussion on the motion. Ms. Propp stated she thought removal of the roof would improve the site. … Motion carried 5-0 PLANNING MANAGERS REPORT: CANCELLATION OF DECEMBER 19TH MEETING Mr. Lyons stated there will be no Plan Commission meeting on 12/19/23, as there is no Council meeting on 12/26/23. Plan Commission will meet again on 1/2/24 where there will be an Extraterritorial Zoning (ETZ) Committee meeting first, followed by Plan Commission. Mr. Bowen asked who is on the ETZ. Mr. Lyons stated the full members are Ms. Davey, Ms. Propp, and Mr. Kiefer. The alternates are Mr. Nichols (1st), and Ms. Scheuermann (2nd). There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at approximately 4:21 pm. (Davey/Propp) Respectfully Submitted, Mark Lyons Planning Services Manager ML/km