Farm & Fleet clears another hurdle

The final site plan for the Farm & Fleet store in Grafton were approved last week by the Plan Commission.

Preliminary plans for the store, which will occupy the vacant former Shopko building at 1771 Wisconsin Ave., were approved by the Architectural Review Board and Plan Commission in July, but final landscaping, lighting and storm water management plans still had to be approved.

Community Development Director Jessica Wolff said the final plans required little alteration.

She said village staff found some areas in the parking lot that don’t provide enough light and that they will meet with Farm & Fleet representatives to ensure the areas are illuminated properly.

She also requested that a line of trees or shrubs be planted between the northeast side of the parking lot and an adjacent property owned by the Ahler family.

“I think it would be a nice addition to screen the area from the Ahlers site,” she said.

Farm & Fleet construction and project manager Dave Wynn said he would meet with his landscape architect to discuss planting a row of trees to buffer the properties.

Conditions included in the plan include identifying where handicap parking lot spaces are located, installing bike racks near the front of the building and identifying locations for propane storage areas and shopping cart corrals.

A variance for the site included the green space requirement. Typically the village requires businesses to maintain  25% green space in parking lots but the Farm & Fleet lot will only need to have about 16%.

Another variance allows Farm & Fleet to display trailers outdoors.

Village President Jim Brunnquell said with so much talk about the new business coming to the village, he expects a high turnout when the store opens in September.

“If the buzz translates to business, you’re going to be hopping,” he told Wynn.

The store will feature an automotive service center, drive-through area and small-engine repair center. It will sell clothing, footwear, tools and hardware, paint, home goods, pet products and gardening supplies.

Wynn said the interior has been gutted and work has begun on the exterior of the building as well.

Renovations will include three building additions, a customer entrance, an auto service center and a small engine repair space, for a total of 11,050 square feet. A 3,820-square-foot canopy space will also be built over the drive-through lanes where customers can pick up or drop off goods.