Commission approval paves way for Columbia St. Mary’s facility to be built on Cheyenne Court next to GHS campus

Columbia St. Mary’s proposal to construct a 14,459-square-foot medical clinic in the Village of Grafton received the go-ahead from the Plan Commission last week.

The commission approved site and architectural plans for the single-story, L-shaped building, which will be constructed on a vacant 2.5-acre parcel between Grafton High School and the building that houses the Flipside Café and Grill and a Port Washington State Bank office.

The project did not require a public hearing or rezoning because medical offices are a permitted use at the Cheyenne Court site, which is zoned as a business park district.

Plans call for the clinic to provide outpatient care — including physician, laboratory and imaging services — and have 25 staff employees on each of two daily shifts. The clinic is expected to be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.

Weas Development Co. is overseeing the project. Douglas Weas, the firm’s president, said construction is expected to begin in June and be done by Dec. 1.

In a report to the commission, Village Planning Director Mike Rambousek said the clinic will have a parking lot that has 81 vehicles spaces but could be expanded to 105 spaces.

Rambousek said the building design — which received a favorable recommendation from the village’s Architectural Review Board on May 15 — is similar to the Columbia St. Mary’s Ozaukee Hospital building in Mequon. The clinic will have a German Tudor style featuring steep pitched roof lines, brick facades, accented window areas and accentuated entrances.

“Architecturally speaking, the project is of very high quality,” Rambousek said.

Vehicle access to the clinic is not permitted off Washington Street (Highway 60), so the only entrances to the parking lot will be off Cheyenne Court along the north side of the building.

Because of the building’s proximity to Grafton High School, the village planning staff met with representatives of the Grafton School District and Town of Grafton, Rambousek said.

In a letter to Rambousek, Town Chairman Lester Bartel Jr. said town officials recognized the architectural quality of the proposed clinic, which “appears to be consistent with both the town and village’s design requirements, as well as the current development throughout the community.”

However, Bartel urged village officials to consider that residential growth in Grafton could spark a need to expand facilities for Grafton High School, including parking.

The parking lot on the east side of the school abuts the west end of the clinic land, which Bartel said “could become an essential component required for growth of the Grafton High School campus.”

To prevent traffic congestion on the school grounds, Bartel said, the town recommended that “no left turn” signs be placed at each exit from the clinic parking lot.

Village Administrator Darrell Hofland said there are no plans to require to installation of restricted-turn signs but the commission agreed that a parking ban on Cheyenne Court during school hours should be considered.

The Public Safety Committee is expected to review that proposal before possibly making a recommendation to the Village Board, Hofland said.