A request from Storage Unlimited LLC, a Plover-based storage unit company, for a conditional-use permit to operate a storage unit business with commercial and retail space was recommended for approval by the Stevens Point Plan Commission at its meeting Monday, Dec. 7.

Storage Unlimited is interested in buying the former Copps grocery store building at 3256 Church St., to expand its Plover operations to southern Stevens Point.

Storage Unlimited was previously denied a conditional use permit to operate a storage facility at that location in the building in February of this year.

Storage Unlimited’s first request was to turn all 50,000-plus square feet of the building into storage units, but city officials and the Stevens Point Common Council didn’t like the idea of a low-traffic business occupying a central commercial area.

Michael Ostrowski, the director of Community Development, said in February, “We’ve identified this in our 2006 comprehensive plan as a redevelopment area on that entire corridor. One of our main concerns with a storage unit going into this facility is the limited intensity of its use. You’ll likely only have a few customers a day and very little staff within the facility, so we thought it would impede the development of that area.”

The Council voted 7-4 to deny the original request.

Nearly 10 month later, Storage Unlimited returned with a request to use 70 percent of the building for their storage unit business and the front 30 percent of the building as retail/commercial.

Storage Unlimited’s proposal includes landscaping, renovation of the façade and repair of the parking lot.

“The applicants have revised their plans to incorporate a retail/office/commercial section within the building,” said Ostrowski. “There were a few concerns that staff had in the beginning back in February, we felt that storage was not the appropriate use for this site … adding the commercial component helps mitigate some of those concerns about this property.

One of the other concerns, Ostrowski said, was the façade needs to be improved so that it doesn’t look like a vacant building.

The revised plan submitted by Storage Unlimited included plans for renovation, but lacked specific design for the upgrades because the owners want input from potential commercial-space occupants on what the exterior of the building would look like.

On the flip side, filling the building has been an issue for the current owners.

“Empty grocery stores are functionally obsolescent to different degrees because they’re so deep that they have very limited uses,” said JD Manville, the real estate agent brokering the deal. “The (former Econofoods) building in Plover has sat empty for at least a decade, so I would hope that when you get a viable (offer), you probably want to take advantage of it because it could sit empty for quite a while.”

“I was very pleased to see this, to me it’s a nice compromise to make this plan. I think it’s a great idea,” said Mary McComb, District 9 alderperson.

The Common Council will consider the recommendation for approval of the conditional use permit at its regular monthly meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 21.