By Dave Fidlin
Correspondent
A local lumber company’s planned expansion received preliminary approval from a city panel last week, but further details will need to be fleshed out before actual work gets underway.
Chris Hale, owner of the 130-year-old Whitewater-based Home Lumber Co. came before the city Plan and Architectural Review Commission on Jan. 11 and discussed plans to add a storage facility to the property, 439 W. Whitewater St.
On its face, commissioners did not have a problem with the additional building, but aesthetic-related concerns did enter the equation.
“This is across the street from a residential area,” commissioner Bruce Parker said. “I think this is a good idea, but I think we also need to look out for the residents and the property values in the area.”
Fellow commissioner Kristine Zaballos expressed similar sentiments.
“We’re not looking for the Taj Mahal,” Zaballos said. “But this is at an entry into the city, and it’s in a transitional neighborhood.”
For his part, Hale said he was willing to take aesthetics into account when he takes his plans to his architect.
“We have no problem making this fit in with the city’s plans, but it is, in the end, a warehouse,” Hale said.
Home Lumber’s plans will be revisited by commissioners at a later date.
Commissioners on Jan. 11 also approved a certified survey map denoting planned expansion plans for Fairhaven Corporation’s Prairie Village development.
The site includes planned building expansions along N. Acorn Ridge and extends beyond the currently westerly edge of the property.
