PC Packet 01.22.26 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

December 11, 2025 PC Minutes Page 4 Commissioner Petty asked if the sign code required individual pin-mounted channel lettering for signs. Juba said that signage isn’t being reviewed at this time, but that the sign code allows for some flexibility. Petty asks what the garage door near the back of the building is for. Gort said that the applicant would best be able to answer that question. Commissioner Klein said that the mechanical equipment shown on the roof may be easier for the applicant to service if it were on the ground. Juba said that roof or ground -mounted mechanical equipment is allowed by ordinance so long as it’s screened. Commissioner Petty asks if planting native prairie grasses as shown in the landscape plan could present issues the City had seen at the Xcel Energy Training Center. Juba said that the issues there were related to a lack of management, which is why the applicant will be required to submit an establishment and management plan for the vegetation. Juba said that the proposed location of the prairie grasses will be in a location that is easier to establish than what was proposed for the Xcel site. Commissioner Derr asked if the shared access point would be a right-in right-out. Juba said that it is currently a full access but long term there will be a median in the highway, making it a right-in right- out. Kyle Gross, the applicant and owner of The Dance Unit at 14643 Mercantile Drive N, introduces himself to the Planning Commission. Gross said that he and his wife have been teaching dance for over a decade, that they opened their studio in 2020, and have seen a lot of growth over the past five years from 44 to 260 students. Gross said that most students are kids but that they offer some adult classes, and sees the studio as an opportunity for families from outside Hugo to support the local business community as they come into town for lessons and performances. Gross answered Commissioner Petty’s question about the garage door, saying that it is a loading door for props that are transported to competitions. Commissioner Petty asked if most classes are in the evenings. Gross said that they are and hoped that increasing their space would allow for greater flexibility in scheduling. Petty said that their evening traffic could be offset from TGK’s primarily daytime traffic. Commissioner Klein said that the proposed building colors were shocking at first, but that he is comfortable with the applicant working with staff to refine the colors. Klein asked if they considered ground-mounted mechanical equipment. Bill Rust, from Rust Architects and Construction and the primary architect for the project, explained that the rooftop mechanical equipment was most efficient for the building construction by allowing the units to service each area of the building directly. Rust said that the color choice for the exterior fo the building was meant to evoke excitement with the kids coming to the studio. Rust said that the interior layout was meant to be more conducive to a dance studio than a traditional office building would be.