Stein's Silver Spring Garden Center Plan Gets New Life

Less than a month after the Whitefish Bay Plan Commission for a temporary satellite location on Silver Spring Drive, the garden center's plan appears to have gotten another chance.

The Village Board voted 5-1 Monday to create what officials are calling an "events pad" on the north end of the parking lot island behind the former El Guapo's building. The project would cost between $30,000 and $50,000 in funds from the tax incremental finance district, which has a projected surplus of $90,000 in 2012. The work would not be paid for out of the general fund that determines the tax levy.

Commissioners rejected Stein’s initial proposal to occupy the north end of the parking lot after business owners voiced concerns about the loss 14 to 16 parking spaces in the northern edge of the 66-space lot nearest Beaumont Avenue and Consaul Place.

As part of the agreement, the garden center would have paid the village $15,000 in rent and donated 500 pumpkins for the Great Pumpkin Festival and flowers to the Public Works Department.

The alternative "events pad" solution has received a more positive reaction from the business community, said Assistant Village Manager Matthew Schuenke. He said Stein’s is also supportive of operating a Stein’s Just Plants operation in the new area.

“It’s an unusable space that we could turn into a usable space,” Schuenke said.

Stein's will need to appear before the Plan Commission again for a conditional use permit to operate in the space. The Village Board would then need to reach a lease agreement with Stein's.

Schuenke said the venue could also host the Whitefish Bay Farmers Market and other temporary businesses, such as a landscaping company that recently showed an interest in selling Christmas trees in the village.

The project is slated to be completed by April 2012.

The only trustee to oppose the project is James Roemer, who said the $30,000 to $50,000 in TID funds would be better spent recruiting or retaining businesses on the street.

“I’m not in favor of spending TID money that just isn’t going to create long-term value from my perspective,” he said.