Plans for a Menards home improvement store in Three Rivers continued to advance through actions by the Three Rivers Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) and the Three Rivers Planning Commission in separate meetings Monday evening (February 20th).

The Three Rivers Planning Commission – meeting Monday evening in the Commission Room at City Hall – approved the site plan for a proposed Menards home improvement store to be constructed on Broadway, west of US-131. (Click on photo to enlarge)

In the first session, the ZBA approved four variances sought by Wisconsin-based Menard, Inc. in conjunction with the store it plans construct on Broadway, west of US-131.  The variances will:

• Allow the display of a number of “wall signs” on the store building in keeping with the company’s national standard

• Allow a larger and taller pylon sign at the store entrance to address concerns about the sign’s visibility from M-60 and US-131 – 201 square feet versus 150 square feet, 35 feet high instead of 25 feet, plus a setback of 25 feet, rather than 35 feet

• Provide relief from the city’s ‘Big Box Ordinance’ requirement to put ten-foot-wide concrete walkways between every third row of parking spaces

• And allow use of washed river rock – with fabric under the stones – rather than mulch in landscaped areas of the parking lot.

In the planning commission meeting that followed the ZBA session, planning commissioners voted to approve the site plan for the store – with the variances approved by the ZBA – along with a change in the height of light poles from 30 feet to 25 feet in keeping with city requirements.

Mike Simonds, real estate representative with Menard, Inc., was on hand for meetings of the Three Rivers ZBA and Planning Commission Monday evening. (Click on photo to enlarge)

Mike Simonds, real estate representative from Menard, Inc., was on hand for both meetings and responded to questions from ZBA and planning commission members.

The next step in the process is a public hearing during the Three Rivers City Commission meeting Tuesday evening (February 20th) and consideration of granting a Special Exception Use Permit to Menard, Inc. to allow construction of the proposed Commercial Planned Development (CPD).

Indications are that the new store – with a total of 215,783 square feet – is likely to open in the spring of 2013.