By Kevin Boneske
Staff Writer
HOWARD – Plans to build a shopping center at the site of the former Genius Car Wash at 2485 Lineville Road received approval Monday, Feb. 18, from the village’s Plan Commission.
The commission backed a site plan for Midwest Expansion, which purchased the 56,981 square feet of vacant property zoned B-1 Business, to construct what will be known as the Edge of Howard.
The site plan calls for a new multi-tenant retail/shopping center with 11,287 square feet of floor area surrounded by a parking lot with 67 stalls with the site being repaved.
Midwest Expansion is planning to begin construction by March 11 with the overall completion of the building shell and site work scheduled for completion on or before Aug. 1, weather permitting.
Steve Wesoloski of Midwest Expansion said the building could be split up into eight spaces of 1,600 square feet per space, though some tenants would have larger spaces.
“The tenants we have on line here hopefully will take two big chunks of the end, and then we have a couple more that are larger in size for the center portion of the building,” Wesoloski said.
He said the building would be accessible on the side facing Lineville Road as well as to the back with a band of split-face masonry about 8 feet tall to go around the structure and siding above that.
Wesoloski declined to identify the prospective tenants interested in moving into the Edge of Howard upon its completion.
Much of the commission’s discussion related to having a sidewalk in front of the building along Lineville Road.
Geoff Farr, public works director, noted plans are in the works to reconstruct Lineville Road around 2022 or 2023, and he recommended having the sidewalk grade at the right height so it wouldn’t adversely affect future construction.
“You see people walking on Lineville, so this (sidewalk) certainly is something the village would like to see,” Farr said. “But, of course, this (road) will be reconstructed in 2023. It is likely that some of (the sidewalk) could easily be torn up and done over again.”
Farr said it would be more costly for the community to wait until Lineville Road is reconstructed before installing the sidewalk in front of Edge of Howard.
The commission approved the site plan with village staff recommendations that include installing sidewalk along the south of Lineville Road, in front of the building, now.