A new corporate headquarters and distribution center for Tradehome Shoes, a self-storage development near Highway 61 and a residential garage variance were among the projects advanced by the Cottage Grove Planning Commission at its Monday, Sept. 28 meeting in the St. Croix Room at City Hall.
Plan Commissioners led by chair Jessica Fisher approved recommendations on all three development applications, with the regular meeting followed by a workshop kicking off Cottage Grove’s Imagine 2050 Comprehensive Plan update, a process expected to continue through 2028.
The largest project before the Plan Commission Monday was a site plan submitted by THS Overtime, LLC for a new Tradehome Shoes headquarters and distribution facility at the northeast corner of Jamaica Avenue and 100th Street South. The approximately 165,000-square-foot building is planned for a 13.07-acre site in the Lake Flora Second Addition, advancent to Airgas.
Tradehome currently operates at 8300 97th Street and is seeking the larger facility to accommodate its existing operation and future growth. The Cottage Grove Economic Development Authority is under agreement to purchase the currently vacant property from WAG Farms and convey it to Tradehome.
The proposed building includes 141,958 square feet of warehouse space and 23,323 square feet of office space. Plans show a concrete employee recreation patio on the north side of the building, passenger parking along the south and west sides and truck loading and parking along the east side. A stormwater filtration basin is planned near the north end of the building.
Two entrances would be constructed along Jamaica Avenue. The northern entrance, aligned with 97th Street, would primarily accommodate truck traffic, while a southern entrance would serve employees and general traffic. The company was denied an access from 100th Street South by the county, which administers the road.
A traffic study meanwhile identified improvements needed on Jamaica Avenue to handle the development and traffic during peak shift changes. Those include widening portions of the roadway, restriping and constructing dedicated left- and right-turn lanes. The result would be a five-lane section along the development frontage. The city plans to perform the improvements as part of a 2027 mill and overlay project.
The development will also bring a new trail segment along Jamaica Avenue. Cottage Grove’s 2040 Comprehensive Plan calls for a future trail within the right-of-way on the east side of Jamaica. Tradehome will be responsible for constructing an eight-foot-wide bituminous trail and installing trail lighting.
Parking requirements were another consideration. Based on the building’s office and warehouse space, city code would normally require 163 spaces. Tradehome plans to initially construct 100 spaces while reserving room for another 63.
Company projections included in the staff report anticipate a maximum of 82 employees spread over two shifts, including 30 office employees, 28 day-shift employees and 24 night-shift employees. The peak daytime workforce would be about 58 employees. City staff determined the initial 100 spaces should therefore exceed anticipated needs, but the additional 63 spaces must remain available for future construction if circumstances change.
The property is zoned I-1 General Industrial and designated Industrial in Cottage Grove’s comprehensive plan, making warehouse and distribution uses permitted at the site. The Planning Commission approved the site plan subject to staff conditions, with City Council review tentatively scheduled for Oct. 21.
Commissioners also advanced a more complicated land-use request involving a 3.88-acre parcel at 11991 120th Street South, near Highway 61.
JH & DG Holdings proposed constructing 22 individually owned storage units within three buildings. To allow the development, the applicant sought a zoning map amendment, zoning text amendment, conditional use permit and site plan approval.
The property is presently zoned B-2 Retail Business. The approved recommendation would rezone it to B-3 General Business and amend Cottage Grove’s zoning ordinance to permit self-storage facilities as a conditional use in the B-3 district. Another ordinance change would eliminate the existing 300-foot separation requirement between self-storage facilities and residential uses.
Senior City Planner Samantha Pierret noted the site’s location along Highway 61 in analyzing the rezoning. The B-3 district is intended in part for highway- and automobile-oriented businesses. Under the existing B-2 designation, uses that could potentially locate on the parcel include a car wash, hotel or motel, gas station or restaurant, depending on applicable conditional-use requirements.
The proposed storage development differs somewhat from a traditional rental self-storage operation because the 22 units would be sold individually to end users.
Plans call for access controls including a mechanical gate at the driveway entrance, security cameras and individual locks for each storage unit. Storage doors would face internally rather than toward public streets or neighboring property, and parking and drive aisles would have asphalt surfaces.
The project will also be subject to park dedication and stormwater area charges before a building permit is issued. According to the staff report, those fees would be based on the disturbed portion of the property because much of the remaining site would stay undisturbed and is largely unbuildable because of bluffs and wetland.
Pierret reported that public hearing notices were mailed Sept. 16 to 10 property owners within 500 feet of the site and that no comments had been received when the report was prepared.
The Plan Commission recommended approval of the rezoning, zoning text changes, conditional use permit and site plan, subject to a series of conditions. Those include obtaining required building, electrical, grading, right-of-way and mechanical permits and securing approvals associated with the property's well and septic systems.
Several nearby property owners spoke on the Highway 61 development, raising concerns including whether the number of trees was sufficient to screen the property. The development is within the Mississippi River Critical Corridor Area (MRCCA) but outside the Metropolitan Urban Service Area (MUSA) and would use private water and septic.
Recommended by the Plan Commission for approval after questioning, the Highway 61 proposal and Tradehome Shoes expansion are scheduled for tentative City Council consideration Oct. 21.
A smaller residential project at 7710 Lamar Avenue South in Old Cottage Grove meanwhile also received Plan Commission support.
Property owner Zachery Spetzman sought permission to construct a 24-by-24-foot detached garage five feet from the southern side property line. Detached accessory buildings in the property's R-1 Rural Residential district normally require a 20-foot side-yard setback.
The 576-square-foot, two-car garage would provide enclosed vehicle parking and residential storage for a home that currently has no garage. The house was constructed in 1946 and has recently been remodeled.
Associate City Planner Kelly Becker said the unusual dimensions and development of the property played a central role in the variance. It consists of two approximately 0.21-acre parcels that have received administrative approval to be combined into one 0.43-acre lot. Even after combining them, the property remains substantially smaller than the three-acre minimum lot size required under current R-1 standards.
The existing house sits near the middle of the property, leaving about 25 feet between the home and each side lot line. The existing driveway runs along the southern side of the house, while the septic system, tanks, drainfield and required replacement area occupy much of the rear yard.
Becker said those conditions significantly restrict where a garage could be placed while maintaining the required setbacks. Building at the proposed location also allows Spetzman to use the existing driveway rather than extend pavement farther into the property.
The proposed garage would sit about 18 feet from the residence and have a height of approximately 13.5 feet. Exterior materials include LP SmartSide siding and architectural asphalt shingles designed to complement the house. Staff also reported that construction would not require removal of the property's mature trees.
The commission found the property's configuration created practical difficulties supporting the variance and recommended approval of the five-foot setback. Conditions include obtaining required permits, recording the parcel combination with Washington County before a building permit is issued, maintaining a complementary color scheme and prohibiting use of the garage as habitable space.
Following regular business Monday, the Plan Commission heard a recap of recent city council meetings from Community Development Director Emily Schmitz and turned its attention towards Cottage Grove's future with a workshop on the Imagine 2050 Comprehensive Plan, adjourning off camera after the workshop.
A multiyear process just getting started, the result will establish Cottage Grove's long-range framework for how and where the community grows during the decade ahead.’
Cottage Grove Plan Commission meetings are held on the fourth Monday of each month in City Hall. The public is welcome to attend.