Warehouse site plan gets thumbs up

The Village of Fredonia Plan Commission on Monday approved the site plan for a 125,320-square-foot warehouse at the Guy & O’Neill facility at 200 Industrial Dr. on the condition that a variance be granted to allow for narrower setbacks on the building’s west side than zoning codes normally allow.

Another question is whether the facility will make use of an existing stormwater retention pond on the west or build new one on the east.

The village is in negotiations with the landowner to the east to purchase the property. If it does, Guy & O’Neill would develop the pond, which officials say would be able to accommodate additional development.

If the village is unable to successfully complete those negotiations, a drain pipe that feeds the retention pond to the west would require an upgrade, village Public Works Director Roger Strohm said.

That upgrade would be paid for through a tax incremental finance district.

The project needs to pass muster with the village Board of Review and likely come back to the Plan Commission.

A street is currently planned on the west side of the building. Strohm said it’s possible the street could be replatted to allow for the building’s size rather than granting a variance.

Guy & O’Neill, which manufactures disinfecting wipes and other cleaning products, has been a fixture in Fredonia for more than 40 years. It is one of the area’s largest employers and the village’s largest consumer of water.

The warehouse addition comes after a year of growth for the company in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic as demand for its products dramatically increased.

Company President and Chief Executive Officer Jeff Brooks said there was no thought of building the warehouse outside of Fredonia.

“Our preference is to be here. We continue to thrive here, and there is an excellent relationship between us and the village government,” he said.

The company employs about 250 people, with the “vast majority” of those working in Fredonia, Brooks said. The company acquired a new facility in Minneapolis last year, he said.