MINUTES OF THE

OAK CREEK PLAN COMMISSION MEETING

TUESDAY, MAY 8, 2007

Mayor Bolender called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.  The following Commissioners were present at roll call: Commissioner Dickmann, Commissioner St. John, Commissioner Sokol, Commissioner Siira, Commissioner Kopplin, Mayor Bolender, Commissioner Grabowski, and Commissioner Nowak.  Commissioner Correll was excused.  Also in attendance were Jeff Fortin, Planner, Assistant Fire Chief George Krudop and Doug Schachtner, Director Parks, Recreation and Forestry.

Commissioner Grabowski moved to approve the minutes of April 24, 2007 Plan Commission meeting. Commissioner Kopplin seconds.  Roll call, all voted aye.  The minutes were approved as submitted.

Report on Significant Common Council Actions

Mr. Fortin updated the Commissioners on the actions that were taken at the May 1, 2007 Common Council meeting.  There were no comments or concerns from the Commissioners.

Plan Review – Henry Miller Park Pavilion Addition
315 E. Groveland Drive
Tax Key No.:  827-9027

Mr. Fortin explained to the Commission the City of Oak Creek Parks & Recreation Department was requesting site and building plan approval for an 11’ x 22’ addition to the Miller Park Pavilion.  The addition will be onto the west end of the existing pavilion.

Mr. Schachtner explained it would be a nine foot addition that would allow them to expand the restrooms by one stall and one additional urinal and two wash basins in the men’s room and two stalls and two wash basins in the women’s restroom.  An additional 5’ walkway will be added around the building if money permits.  There will also be a handicap accessible ramp and dock down to the pond.  The siding and shingles will match the existing building.

Commissioner Siira questioned the motive behind the addition.  Mr. Schachtner explained they were bringing the facility up to current ADA standards and using CDBG funds. 

Commissioner Dickmann questioned if the bathrooms could be blocked off from the rest of the building.  Mr. Schachtner stated that was correct.    The hours that the restrooms would be accessible has yet to be determined. 

Commissioner Siira questioned if there were any foreseen safety issues with the ramp and the pond.  Mr. Schachtner explained he had brought that issue to the attention of the architect and he is looking into some handrails for the north side of the dock that could be possibly removed in the winter.

Commissioner Dickmann moved that the Plan Commission approve the site and building plans for the Miller Park Pavilion addition at 315 E. Groveland Drive, subject to the following conditions:

  1. That all building and fire codes are met.
  2. That the final site grading and drainage plans are reviewed and approved by the Engineering Department prior to the issuance of building permits. 

Commissioner Grabowski seconds.  Roll call, all voted aye.  The motion to approve carries.

Affidavit of Correction – Emerald Meadows Addition No. 2

Mr. Fortin explained to the Commission the developers of Emerald Meadows Addition #2 Subdivision are submitting an affidavit of correction that would change some street names within the subdivision. 

Commissioner Grabowski moved that the Plan Commission recommend to the Common Council that the affidavit of correction changing the street names for the Emerald Meadows Addition No. 2 subdivision be approved. 

Commissioner Nowak seconds.  Roll call, all voted aye.  The motion to approve carries.

Planned Unit Development – Liberty Corporate Preserve at Oak Creek
9950, 10068 and 10108 S. 27th Street
Tax Key No.:  927-999-9010, 927-9998 and 927-9997

Mr. Fortin explained to the Commission that Liberty Property Trust was requesting that the properties at 9950, 10068 and 10108 S. 27th Street be rezoned from the existing M-1 (PUD), Manufacturing/OO, S. 27th Street Office Overlay District, and B-4, Highway Business to M-1 (PUD), Manufacturing.  The new PUD would replace these zoning designations and allow for the development of the Liberty Corporate Preserve at Oak Creek, a Class “A” office and industrial park within the 27th Street corridor along an extension of Reinhart Drive between Southbranch Blvd. and Oakwood Road.  The development consists of five buildings totaling approximately 300,000 square feet, which includes a one-story office building, two warehouse/distribution buildings, a multi-tenant retail building, and a restaurant site.

Commissioner Dickmann questioned when the deviations would be put into the motion.  Mr. Fortin explained the conditions and restrictions that would be presented at the next meeting would spell out all of the required setbacks under the PUD.

Commissioner St. John questioned if a variance was needed for the overlay district.  Mr. Fortin explained the overlay district would essentially be removing the OO, Office Overlay which requires the two story minimum.  All of the parcels would be rezoned into the M-1, PUD that would not have the requirement of the two story building.

Commissioner St. John again questioned if it would be a variation.  Mr. Fortin explained it would be a rezone of the property to M-1, PUD, which would encompass the entire Liberty project and remove the two story requirement. 

Commissioner Grabowski stated her position has not changed and she would be voting in the negative.  This would be quite a deviation from the proposed plan.  Liberty Mutual is welcome in Oak Creek but she did not feel this was a good fit for what they have brought to the table at this point. 

Commissioner St. John questioned if there was an agreement with Franklin that the overlay district be imposed.  Mr. Fortin was not aware of any approval authority that Franklin had.  Mayor Bolender stated Franklin did not have any approval authority for Oak Creek. 

Commissioner Kopplin questioned if the memorandum of understanding with Franklin was just for the streetscape.  Mr. Fortin confirmed the MOU was just for the streetscape project and the funding for the project. 

Commissioner Dickmann commented the Common Council approved this on the elements of the development based on the one-story model.  This motion would just be a secondary to the Council’s vote. 

Commissioner St. John commented the Council’s motion was focused at the office building.  He did not believe there was wide knowledge that there were two other buildings that would be involved. 

Mr. Neil Driscoll, Liberty Property Trust, explained to the Commission he assumed the restaurant would be single story and the northwest retail parcel was not something that Liberty was going to develop themselves and they assumed once the entire site was prepared and they started their buildings they may find a developer to buy that and they would come back to the Commission with their own particular plan. 

Commissioner Siira moved that the Plan Commission recommend to the Common Council that they approve the rezoning from M-1(PUD), Manufacturing/OO, S. 27th Street Office Overlay District, and B-4, Highway Business to M-1 (PUD), Manufacturing after a public hearing and subject to conditions and restrictions which will be prepared for the Commission at the next meeting. 

Commissioner Nowak seconds.

Roll call, Dickmann; aye, St. John; nay, Sokol; aye, Siira; aye, Kopplin; aye, Bolender; aye, Grabowski; nay, Nowak; aye.  The motion to approve carries.

Plan Review – Dunham Building Addition
7420 S. 10th Street
Tax Key No.:  764-9048

Mr. Fortin explained to the Commission the applicant was requesting approval of site and building plans for a 5,300 square foot addition to the their existing facility at 7420 S. 10th Street.  The addition will be onto the east end of the building and will add fifteen overhead doors for their delivery trucks. 

Commissioner Dickmann questioned the need for the additional dock doors.  Mr. Greg Bredin, DBI, explained Dunham Express has leased the building for the last five years and they use small vans to deliver the packages which arrive at Dunham in big trucks but leave in the small cube trucks or larger vans. 

Commissioner Kopplin questioned if the existing doors would be staying.  Mr. Bredin stated they would be staying.  The doors were six foot doors at grade. 

Commissioner Sokol moved that the Plan Commission approve the site and building plans for the property at 7420 S. 10th Street, subject to the following conditions:

  1. That all building and fire codes are met.
  2. That the final site grading and drainage plans are reviewed and approved by the Engineering Department prior to the issuance of building permits.  The revised grading plan shall be revised to incorporate a break in the proposed berm at the south end of the property.
  3. That the final site lighting plan is reviewed and approved by the Electrical Inspector prior to the issuance of building permits.

Commissioner Grabowski seconds.  Roll call, all voted aye.  The motion to approve carries.

Commissioner Grabowski moved to adjourn.  Commissioner Siira seconds.  Roll call, all voted aye.  The meeting adjourned at 7:25 p.m.