Cabela's expansion receives nod from city planners

The city Planning

Commission found Monday

that the Cabela’s corporate

expansion plan was in line

with city’s overall vision for

the future.

This redevelopment plan

had already been reviewed by

the Community Development

Agency, who referred it to

the Planning Commission.

The commission’s role was

to refer it back to the CDA,

after ensuring that it conforms

with the 2012 comprehensive

plan and the overall

goals and strategies of the

community.

“It does over time look

at the development of this

ground as being commercial,”

said Dennis Armstrong,

Cabela’s architect. “As well

as a retail use.”

There are two tracts of

land in this redevelopment

plan. The first parcel is

a 27 acre tract owned by

Cabela’s and the second is a

14 acre tract owned by Tim

Reganis.

“The overall approach

to this has been working

together with the Reganis

team to come up with a comprehensive

plan,” Armstrong

said.

The first new

building will

extend west of the

existing corporate

headquarters by

Old Post Road.

The overall development

will consist

of office buildings

added over

time, as the need

for them arises.

Construction on

the first of the

new office buildings

will begin

next year for completion

in early 2015.

“We put together a plan

that takes both this 27 acre

piece and the 14 acre piece

and worked them together,”

Armstrong said.

It makes sense to start

work on infrastructure,

grading and the road network

system in the first

phase of building, in preparation

for future construction,

Armstrong added.

“Given the topography of

the site, and

very complex,

there’s a lot of

grading that

has to occur

and we’re in

the first phase

of looking at

the overall

storm water

m a n a g e m e n t

plan for the full

27 acre parcel

plus what we

have over here

on portions

of our existing

campus,”

Armstrong said. “All of

that storm water detention

would be looked at in this

first phase and an over lot

grading plan for all of this

ground.”

The first phase of work on

the Reganis property would

be construction of a road

connecting it to the Cabela’s

land, installation of utilities

and over lot grading to

move some of the dirt from

the Reganis property to the

Cabela’s property to balance

out the lay of the land.

“In order for this development

to work, you really

need to over lot grade the

entire 27 acres, and in order

to over lot grade the entire

27 acres, we need fill material

from this site,” Armstrong

said. “So there is an export

if you will from this site to

bring the grades here closer

to the elevation you see on

Old Post. It’s quite high.”

Excess dirt from the

Reganis property, which is

around 6-8 feet above the

road at the moment will be

used to even out the Cabela’s

land which contains many

gullies. Those working on

the project hope the dirt will

balance between the two

properties.

Planning commission

chairman Jerry Spiker wondered

if there would be a

release for rainwater overflow

included in the plans.

At the moment, architects

are planning for all storm

water flowing into the area

from south of Interstate 80

to be held in a detention

area and released through

piping that already exists in

Cabela’s current system. If

the drainage pipes did get

clogged there would be a

possibility of the detention

area overflowing Old Post

Road.

“Right now the overall

detention quantities match

up with the needs to support

the development of this parcel,”

Armstrong said.

Releases would only take

effect in the case of an historic

flood, Armstrong said.

“By taking the level down

on Tim’s property, you’re

actually gonna improve

the water run off situation

because you won’t have as

much height as quickly,” said

Jordan Ball representative

for Reganis. “So that’s an

additional factor in improving

water characteristics out

there.”

City manager Gary

Person and public service

director John Hehnke met

with Armstrong and the

other members of the development

team on a weekly

basis to work on the corporate

expansion and other

upcoming projects.

“They’ve been very forthcoming

with the utility

needs,” Person said. “So it’s

given us a head start on figuring

out the components of

how everything fits together

and how we work it. To their

credit, they’ve done it the

right way.”

After referring the corporate

campus plan back to the

CDA, the planning commission

opened a public hearing

and approved rezoning the

Cabela’s land where the new

corporate expansion will

take place from agricultural

to heavy commercial.