Commission approves donated Middleton High hitting facility and grants materials waiver with landscaping conditions

The Middleton Planning and Zoning Commission voted to approve both a waiver of material standards and the design review for a donated indoor baseball/softball hitting facility at Middleton High School.

Mark G, who identified himself as superintendent of Middleton School District, said the project is donation-funded and would give students an on-campus indoor practice option so they "don't have to travel" and pay rental fees elsewhere. Architect Glenn Walker told the commission that the building would be painted to match the campus and that landscaping would be used to blend the structure into the surroundings.

Staff presented a set of conditions including enhanced mature landscaping on the east side facing Stonehaven to reduce visual impacts, a pre-construction meeting with city staff, compliance with department comments at permit, down-lit exterior lighting, and installation of landscape per the plan with an emphasis on east-side trees. Commissioners discussed limiting the heavy landscaping requirement primarily to the east-facing side to reduce maintenance burden on the district. The commission first approved the materials waiver, then approved the design review, both by unanimous votes.