Planning Commission gives OK for retailer at business park

The Sidney Planning Commission gave its approval this week for a retail-oriented business to set up shop at the Sidney Business Park.

The City Council will now consider the request and make a final decision.

Bomgaars, which has a store located along Fort Sidney Road in Sidney, submitted a letter to the commission requesting a lot at the business park be rezoned to allow retail operations.

The initial three lots of the 90-acre development, which were final platted earlier this year, are designated M-2 Heavy Industrial. Because the city’s zoning regulations prohibit retail operations at such a site, the company asked the zoning be changed to C-3 Heavy Commercial – which allows for retail sales.

Recently, the city sold the first plot at the park to Longhorn Investments, which will open a veterinary clinic at the location. City statutes require vet clinics to obtain a conditional use permit – which Longhorn did – regardless of a site’s zoning designation. However, City Manager Gary Person said Longhorn joined the rezoning request to allow for opportunities in the future.

When the Sidney Business Park was first proposed, it was named the Sidney Industrial Park. In a memo to the commission, Person said the name was changed to more appropriately reflect the current needs in the community.

In 1998, the property was designated Heavy Industrial because of its proximity to Interstate 80, rail access and, at the time, its location on the outskirts of town.

City Comprehensive Plans released in 2002 and 2012 reaffirmed the city’s commitment to use the land to spur private industrial development, Person noted.

But since that time, the area near Adam’s Industries has emerged as an alternative location for businesses with an industrial focus, he said.

Since the city owns the lots that Bomgaars is interested in, the petition for rezoning was submitted by the city.

“I talked with the mayor, and we both concurred that the logical step would be to bring it to you now to see what your thoughts are and were we go from here,” Person said.

Commissioner Casey Cortney said she was in favor of rezoning the specific lots requested.

“It makes sense,” she said. “That property has sat for a long time. We have the opportunity now for the city to sell some of the property and develop the area.”

When asked the opinion of city staff, Person said demands for industrial sites within the city have diminished with the emergence of Adam’s.

“The most recent demand has been pretty much Heavy Commercial,” he said. “That’s why we felt it was worth the discussion.”

Mayor Mark Nienhueser attended the meeting to voice his opposition to the request.

“The reason I challenge this, what’s best for the community in the long run?” he said. “Industrial and commercial, in my mind, don’t mix.”

Since its inception, the park had been designated for industrial use, he said.

“Once you lose industrial, it’s the hardest piece of property to rezone,” he added.

Rick Penkava, regional district manager for Bomgaars, explained the company’s plan for the lot.

He said the current Sidney facility has 10,000 square feet of sales floor. If allowed to build at the business park, the new store would have 27,000 square feet of sales floor.

The site, along U.S. Highway 385, would be also a much improved location, he added.

“We just think that the [Highway] 385 corridor gives us a lot more exposure,” he said.

Commissioner John Phillips said he’d be opposed to rezoning the entire business park, but not just a few lots.

In a roll call vote, the motion to rezone the lots passed 6-2. Dave McCarville and E. Todd Sherlock cast the only no votes.