Planning commission recommends approval of Graco headquarters preliminary plat

The Dayton Planning Commission on March 5 recommended approval of a preliminary plat and planned‑unit‑development amendment for Graco’s proposed office headquarters campus, after staff reviewed site design, parking and shoreland considerations.

Planning staff told the commission the project would place a roughly 31,684‑square‑foot footprint per floor (95,000 square feet total) on a 9.72‑acre lot within a 27.61‑acre site off West French Lake Road and Brockton Lane North. The applicant proposed about 292 parking spaces and justified a reduced stall count based on an anticipated employee population of roughly 250 and future visitor stalls. Staff said proposed landscaping would exceed minimum code requirements and that a shared‑access agreement would be required to formalize cross‑property access.

“Staff recommends approval of this item with the conditions referenced in the staff report,” the project presenter said, citing landscaping, shared access and engineering comments. Commissioners asked about shoreland setback, building height flexibility within the PUD, and parking design; staff said the DNR provided no concerns on shoreland impacts and noted nearby buildings already exceeded the city’s 35‑foot shoreland height guideline.

Commissioner Jeff (speaker 11) moved to recommend approval to the city council with the five conditions outlined in the staff report; the motion was seconded and carried. One commissioner recused from the discussion and vote because of a conflict of interest. The matter will proceed to Dayton’s city council for final action with the conditions included in the staff report.

Next steps: the city council will consider the commission’s recommendation and any additional conditions or changes requested by council members.