Building owner seeks to expand warehouse used by Frito-Lay

Sep. 8—WORTHINGTON — The Worthington Planning Commission gave preliminary approval Tuesday evening for the expansion of a warehouse distribution center at 1260 27th St, just off U.S. 59, north of Worthington.

The building's owner is JB Brooke Properties. Pat Janicek of Spirit Lake, Iowa, appeared before the commission to say that Frito-Lay, who has rented the building since it was constructed in 2019, is in need of more space to improve cost-effectiveness.

"They're going to bring some other facilities into this Worthington one; it will bring more drivers in," said Janicek, noting that the company looked at expansions of a couple of its other sites, but decided it would be best to expand its Worthington warehouse.

The 45- by 60-foot expansion will attach to the existing warehouse's east side, and appear seamless once it's completed. Inside, Janicek said they will remove the existing east wall and add steel weight-bearing posts to maintain a fully open concept warehouse.

"It will be the same building manufacturer, the roof line will blend into the existing, the same color, same design," Janicek said. "After it's done, you won't even know it's been added onto."

Matt Selof, the city's director of community development/planning and zoning, said the impact of the expansion on the surrounding area will be minimal. When the warehouse was originally constructed, it was classified as a low-volume, occasional use building. That will remain, with no more than five tractor-trailer stops per week, and no more than 20 automobile visits per week. The area is also not typically used by pedestrians.

With the commission's approval of the plans, the permit request will now advance to the Worthington City Council for consideration and action at its Monday evening meeting, which begins at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall.

In other action, the commission:

* Approved a variance for Bianca Perry and Matthew Schroeder, 1616 W. Oxford St., to vary from the required 10-foot maximum sidewall for construction of a building on their property. The couple appeared before the commission a month ago, where they received approval to construct a 1,600-square-foot building, which is more than what city code allows. At that time, it was not known that the building was drawn to include 12-foot sidewalls.

The property is located along Oxford Street, just west of the Homewood Hills Addition, and is bordered on two sides by farmland. With the uniqueness of the location — separated from residential housing — the variance was granted.

* Briefly discussed mixed-use buildings downtown, following a request Selof received from someone interested in redeveloping a vacant 10th Street lot. Questions pertained to whether residential space would be allowed at the rear of the building, and how many levels the building could contain.

"One of the proposed ideas is to have residential above a commercial space, much like other downtown buildings have," Selof shared. "Currently, city code does not address mixed-use buildings and would subsequently prohibit the creation of second-story residential units downtown."

Selof said that while the city intends to begin a full rewrite of its zoning ordinance in 2024, he wanted to explore interest in a text amendment that would allow a mix of land uses on downtown properties.

He brought the issue before the commission to gather initial input.

The greatest concern voiced among commission members Tuesday evening was parking, and the lack there-of downtown.

Commissioner Chris Kielblock, who concurrently serves on the Worthington City Council, said he favors keeping businesses on the street level, while Commissioner Mark Vis said the idea fits in with the neighborhood, as several other downtown businesses already have rental properties on their upper levels.

Selof said he will explore how other cities handle parking regulations, and also discuss the issue with the city council before bringing it back for a more formal discussion.

* Discussed the city's existing retail parking requirements for stand-alone businesses. Current city code requires retail stores to have one parking stall for every 200 square feet of floor area. City staff is currently working with a developer considering some retail construction and seeks to address the retail parking requirements in advance of those plans.

"Anytime I talk with anyone, they say our parking requirements are far more than what they need," Selof said, noting that in Willmar, the city removed all parking requirements tied to the number of parking spaces per square foot of space.

"Every retail business has different needs," shared Commissioner Jason Gerdes.

"I'm all for making accessibility for businesses easier," added Vis.

Selof said he will do some research and bring more information back to the commission at its October meeting.

* Received a recap from Selof on the community surveys conducted this summer on the community's 20-year comprehensive plan. More than 260 people responded to the survey, which looked at everything from housing needs to parks and rec space, business and economic development, and public transit.

Selof said 63% of respondents identified housing as a top priority for the next 20 years, and that 65% of respondents were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with the available housing today.

"They can't find rental housing that they like; they can't find a house they can buy that's in a price range they can afford," Selof said.

Trails were identified by 51% of respondents as a recreation opportunity the city needs more of, while 52% identified local businesses as a top priority for the next 20 years.

Selof said he will do another outreach event during King Turkey Day, and plans to have a review of draft goals ready for the planning commission's Oct. 3 meeting. City Council will then review the draft goals on Oct. 11.