New Development Coming To S. 27th Street

Rendering of proposed development at 5208 S. 27th St. Image from QLS Architects.

A vacant lot on busy S. 27th Street could soon house a commercial building.

“This will not be an inexpensive, boilerplate strip mall,” said architect Shannon Liggett in presenting the proposal to the City Plan Commission on Oct. 16.

Jaggi Singh Ghotra and Lakhwinder Kaur acquired the site at the corner of S. 27th Street and W. Abbott Avenue in September 2022 for $190,000. They are now pursuing a zoning change, from residential to the city’s LB1 commercial designation, for the western portion of the site that faces the commercial corridor and have divided the house on the eastern end of the site into a separate parcel.

An approximately 3,100-square-foot building is proposed and would run parallel to W. Abbott Avenue, but open to the south, away from the street. It could be divisible for up to four tenants. Parking would be located south of the building.

“This property or lot is definitely an anomaly,” said Liggett. To the north is a car dealership, to the south is an insurance office and across S. 27th Street to the west are a bar, salon and pharmacy. But the only commercial activity on the grass lot has long been the seasonal sale of Christmas trees.

Ald. Scott Spiker initially opposed the rezoning application because representatives of the development team wouldn’t commit to not leasing the property to tobacco or vape shops. He said the testimony could be used as evidence at Board of Zoning Appeals meetings if such future tenants sought variances to open at the property.

On Monday, Spiker dropped his objection. “It sounds like we had miscommunication last time about the applicant’s true plants,” said the alderman. Kaur appeared before the commission to say they wouldn’t pursue tenants that sold alcohol, tobacco, vape products, CBD or, if legalized, marijuana.

The commission unanimously endorsed the zoning change. The full Common Council will need to approve it.

“Best of luck to your proposal,” said chair Stephanie Bloomingdale. “It looks like a very beautiful building that will serve the community for many years to come.”

The 0.5-acre site, 5208 S. 27th St., is located a couple blocks south of W. Layton Avenue in the Clayton Crest neighborhood. The west side of the street is the city of Greenfield.

Ghotra and Kaur won’t be required to build exactly what was shown to the commission. The city would grant a base zoning change instead of a more complicated detailed planned development that locks in the design of the building. But the new building will need to comply with the new zoning designation for the site. QLS Architects is leading the building’s design.

A one-story, 989-square-foot house, constructed in 1941, would be demolished as part of the proposal, as would a rear garage. Liggett said the home is in “disrepair” and the new owners would seek to replace it with a new home. A planning schematic references a duplex on the site.

Photos and Renderings