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.
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