Lukjan subdivision approved by council

Sidney City Council Tuesday approved a subdivision for Lukjan Metal LLC's facility on Greenwood Drive.

Dividing the property is among the steps necessary to bring another company to Sidney, Robert Stefka, Commercial Investment Services of North Platte, representing Korda & Kelly, Lukjan's ownership entity, explained to council members.

"When they purchased that building," Stefka said, "they looked at marketing the other half of the property because, quite frankly, it was a much larger property than what they needed."

The original structure was built in 1980 and boasts an addition, separated by fire doors, which would demarcate the space between companies in the facility.

"What we've talked about doing is breaking that up to possibly bring another business into the community. One of the ways we would do that would be to subdivide that property," Stefka said. "We're not asking for rezoning. Frankly there's a natural break point in that building."

He added, "We're asking for a separate legal description to be created essentially along where the fire doors are aligned ... so we have the opportunity to market the other half of it."

There is a buyer in consideration for the property, Stefka said.

"There's a contingency, working with that person, that we would be able to have to subdivide this property into two pieces, to market it to that person," he said.

Ben Dayton, zoning administrator, reported to the council that the facility had been inspected.

"We don't have any issues with the subdivision. It meets all the requirements for the ordinance," he said. "There will be plenty of parking on each portion of the building."

He added, "It's really perfect for this situation."

Lukjan "reached an agreement" in August with Agri-Plastics, an Ontario-based plastics manufacturer, for the space, Herb Gibson, Lukjan midwest regional director, told the SunTelegraph.

No contracts had been signed, though.

The smaller space would be sold to a prospective company, with Lukjan retaining the larger space.

Gibson said in August he also hopes to be able to find a company for unused call center space at the Greenwood facility.