Tim Ryan, tryan@shawanoleader.com
City officials Wednesday approved a special exception to the zoning code to allow a major redevelopment of the United Cooperative feed mill.
Common Council members also attached conditions to the exception to ensure that several concerns are addressed before the project goes forward.
The cooperative plans to tear down and replace some of the buildings; remodel office, warehouse and fertilizer storage space; and add grain bins and a feed manufacturing facility.
The facility at 660 E. Seward St. borders East Green Bay Street on the north and extends south about four blocks to Center Street.
“The site has been very well used over the years and is in need of replacement for the most part,” Steve Cramer, United president and chief executive officer, told the council.
The city’s planning consultant, Mike Slavney, of Vandewalle and Associates, recommended approval of the special exception, saying the property has limited alternative uses given the railroad line that runs through it.
“If some other business were to go in there, it would almost have to be a business that was really interested in access to the rail,” he said.
The redevelopment will also remove 14 blighted structures on the site.
“If the business goes away, the blight remains,” Slavney said. “The property is not a peach of a property in terms of getting future development or redevelopment on it.”
The Plan Commission recommended approval of the special exception Monday, with conditions that addressed concerns raised by residential neighbors.
The Common Council added another condition Wednesday — a developer’s agreement between the city and United Cooperative that would guarantee all those conditions are met.
“I think that would be some peace of mind to those of us who have to make a decision today,” Alderman Bob Kurkiewicz said.
The city will also have to approve a site plan, which would have to include all the conditions being met, before any work goes forward.
The cooperative’s plan includes closing East Schurz Street and East Division Street at the points where those streets enter the United Cooperative property.
One of the conditions is that the cooperative ensure residential neighbors still have access to their properties and that a cul-de-sac or some other turnaround is included at the end of the dead-end streets.
Other conditions include requiring United Cooperative to submit water drainage and landscaping plans, ensuring access to fire hydrants, and locating electrical truck-warming hook-ups away from nearby residents to minimize noise.
The cooperative also plans to bring truck traffic onto the property off Green Bay Street and have them exit on Center Street, where they will be required to turn left to avoid the residential neighborhood.
The trucks will still have to go past a park area on Center Street, which was a safety concern for council members, albeit not a new one.
“The park has always been a concern,” Alderwoman Sandy Steinke said. “There are trucks coming out of there already.”
City Administrator Brian Knapp said there are still a number of logistical issues to be worked out, including possible widening of the street to give trucks a wider berth when turning past the park.
There are also questions about where the streets United Cooperative wants to close end and the cooperative property begins, as well as whether fire hydrants that serve the residential properties would be cut off by the security fence the cooperative wants to erect.
“We’ve got a lot of hurdles to pass,” Knapp said.