At the Prescott Planning Commission monthly meeting on Nov. 6, the commission reviewed plans for two new businesses. First, the site plan for 1455 North Acres Road, located on vacant Lot 11 at North Acres Business Park, which is currently zoned I-3 Mixed Industrial Commercial. The proposed plan is for a Dollar Tree to be constructed at the site; the building will have a cement board façade on the east, west, and south elevations while the north elevation will consist of steel siding. The building will be 25 feet, 8 inches in height at its peak. The lot site will drain into a stormwater detention pond to the west.

With city parking standards requiring a total of 33 parking spaces to meet the one parking stall for every 300 square feet of floor area, the proposed site plan will actually have 34 spaces with two of those spaces being handicapped accessible. Construction work on the entrances and exit will require temporary road closures but advanced warning signs will be placed for the public.

After City Planner Carter Hayes shared the site plan review with the commission, Commissioner Mike Hunter inquired when construction would begin pending final approval.

Nick Feira of UDG said they plan to begin construction this month.

“We want to get footings and foundations in the ground as quick as possible,” he said.

Feira said they have an early start permit from the state pending approval from the City Council, so they plan to build through the winter, finish the parking lot in the spring and open for business in July.

“I guess my main concern would be that we already have a Dollar General in town,” said Commissioner Kate Otto.

She added that on one side of the road is the trailer park, storage units and the Dollar General and if this is approved, then the other side of the road would be storage units and a Dollar Tree.   “I mean is that something we want for our community? Two dollar stores right across from each other?” she asked.

Commissioner Dave Hovel responded, “I would say the ordinance allows it. The zoning allows it and competition’s competition.”

He commented that he understands her point, but the ordinance allows it so it’s hard to restrict if they meet the ordinance.

“As a Planning Commission are we planning for the future of Prescott? Is that what we want Highway 10 to look like?” she asked.

“If you want to do that then you have to change your zoning,” Hovel said, adding they tried to do a little of that earlier.

City Administrator Matt Wolf remarked, “I would say we tried twice now the last two years to remove storage warehousing and wholesaling and both times we failed to do so. So, if we want to go back and look at zoning and changing it, we can although I guess I don’t think we want to put the owners through it since we’ve put them through it twice and both times it’s failed.”

He mentioned that what they are discussing now is retail. Hovel agreed and shared that even with the zoning change, retail is allowed. 
Otto continued, “But if they meet the setbacks and all that, do we just want any retail allowed anywhere?”

“At some point you have to be careful you aren’t capricious in judging business,” Hovel cautioned.

Commissioner Steve Most added, “Another facet I think about too, is like that’s been a field forever and at what point do you put something in?”

Feira said there is a demand for both types of businesses and good competition. He shared that Dollar Tree is looking at a $1.5 million to $2 million investment into the community.

“That doesn’t just happen on a whim. There’s a pretty good background of them going through their checks and balances that the store is going to be successful in the community,” he said. Dollar Trees and Dollar Generals coexist in many communities and remain successful stores, he added.  

Hovel stated that it brings employment, adds to the tax base and that the community probably wants to have it.

Otto said she understands free enterprise, but she struggles with it because there is already a Dollar General in the area.

“It’s not my favorite,” she said.

Mayor Rob Daugherty reminded her that different types of gas stations are allowed in Prescott. 

The commission voted to send the site plan to council for approval despite an opposing vote from Otto.

At the biweekly city council meeting on Nov. 13^, the council discussed the site plan for the proposed Dollar Tree. As council members voiced their frustration that a Dollar Tree was being built on the property, Wolf reminded them, “As long as it’s meeting our zoning code, in terms of what we allow within that zone, the city doesn’t have the ability to say yes or no to the free market and say what can or can’t go in a place as long as it’s meeting our zoning code.”

Alderperson Bailey Ruona said she wasn’t excited about Dollar Tree being constructed, but acquiesced.

“I guess I make a motion to approve. We don’t have a reason not to unfortunately,” she said.

“I’ll second that motion, sadly,” Alderperson Dar Hintz said.

The council unanimously approved the site plan for 1455 North Acres Road.

New Adventures

New Adventures Learning Center submitted a site plan for 1051 Orrin Road to the Plan Commission at the November meeting. They are requesting a certified survey map change to combine Lot 2 with Outlot 1.

The new building would be almost 32 feet tall; the exterior would consist of cedar board and batten with cultured veneer wainscot on the front of the building but the south, east and west elevations would have a green steel siding with a stone look metal wainscot.
New Adventures Learning Center projects they will serve 80 students with 21 staff members which then requires the business to provide 37 parking spaces per the city parking standards. The site plan shows that 38 spaces will be provided with one handicapped accessible space with some of the spaces measuring slightly smaller at 10-by-18 feet than the usual 10-by-19 feet.

Hovel said it would be nice to have a gable on the new building to match the gable on the entrance to the older building, “so they both have a gable peak.”

“You’re still going to have it stick up but at least the face itself would have two gable ends that would match so it’d be like two twin peaks,” he said.

He felt it would look better from the highway than just half a building getting put up.

Emily Osthus from Land and Resource Consulting addressed Hovel’s concerns.

“There is a pretty specific reason for that, which is they have issues right now with snow shedding into their inner courtyard of the building, so that’s specifically designed to shed the snow away from that inner courtyard.”

She said there is also storage space at the top of the peak, which is another issue that guided the design of the building.

Hovel reiterated that he understands the reasons for the design, but believes another peak on the front would make it aesthetically pleasing. As Hovel walked over to the projector screen to show the Commission what he was proposing, Commissioner John Peterson said,”It might interfere with those windows though on the front.”

Hovel said they could possibly move the window placements. When Otto said the high corner would still be there, Hovel said it wouldn’t look as boxy and maybe the upper siding could be a different color to break up the front.

“If nobody else has a big issue with it, it’s not a make or break. I just throw it out there for an idea to make it a little bit more appealing as you’re driving down the highway,” he said.

“It’d probably look less clunky,” Most agreed.

Otto remarked, “I don’t have a problem with it. I think we have a big need for more daycare space. I think it’s a good plan.”

Hovel motioned with his hands, “I’m just talking a one-foot little roof line like that right on the face.”

“I think it’s a good thought,” Peterson chimed in. “I’m not too concerned about it either way.” He said they could make the suggestion to the owners, but it comes down to each person’s preferences.

Otto asked if it would match the existing exterior or if they are redoing the exterior for all the buildings.

Tracy Collins of New Adventures Learning Center stood up to answer the design questions.

“We want it to look nice too. We want it to be appealing,” she stated. “The whole front of the building is going to be redone and it will match.”

She added they will try to color match it with what is currently there for aesthetic purposes.

Hovel motioned to forward the site plan for New Adventures Learning Center to the Prescott City Council for further approval at the next meeting. The commission forwarded a resolution to approve a certified survey map combining Lot 2 and Outlot 1 to the city council, which was approved at the Nov. 13 meeting along with the site plan review for the expansion. 

The next planning commission meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday, Dec. 4 at Prescott City Hall.