Meijer Permit Heading for Review Thursday

After an unprecedented 8-hour public hearing regarding the 200,000-square-foot Meijer Store development, the Plan Commission is ready to review an unprecedented permit for the proposal.

After a public hearing - separated into two evening meetings - the Sussex village staff crafted a conditional use permit for the development. The proposal contains several exceptions to the village code to accommodate the Michigan-based retailer. The Plan Commission will walk through the permit at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Village Hall. Commissioners will discuss potential adjustments to the plan and give further direction to village staff.

The Plan Commission can add more conditions to the permit if deemed necessary. The final permit document, site plan review, zoning application, and other plan components would be presented and potentially voted on at the February Plan Commission meeting.

The Village Board earlier in December approved to rezone some 20 acres of land on the corner of Highway 164 and Highway K. More than 35 evidentiary exhibits were submitted during the public hearing process, and those exhibits guided staff in crafting the permit.

Meijer , 24-hour, mixed grocery store and retail center on the site. The plans also include construction of a gas station, as well. Sussex amended its land use plan to accommodate the development.

On Dec. 18, Lisbon and Sussex officials met in a joint committee and agreed to disagree about the Meijer proposal. In a vote that was purely symbolic, Lisbon leaders unanimously opposed the development while Sussex officials voted in favor.

Lisbon town officials cited concerns over the size of the development, storm water management on the site, and facets of Meijer’s conditional use. They were also concerned that the project didn’t fit into Sussex’s long-range comprehensive plan.