DAVE FIDLIN

Kenosha News correspondent

June 27, 2021

A food distributor’s plans for a year-round indoor garden facility on Kenosha’s northwest side moved one step closer to reality, following a city panel’s favorable recommendation.

The Plan Commission on Thursday reviewed and advanced a proposed year-round standalone indoor garden facility adjacent to the existing Gordon Food Service distribution plant at 10901 38th St.

GFS plans to partner with Square Roots, an organization specializing in urban farming, in the development. A new 8,715-square-foot facility will be used to grow fresh produce, greens, and herbs.

Gordon has forged similar partnerships with Square Roots at other distribution centers within the U.S., the first taking place two years ago near the company’s Michigan-based corporate headquarters.

At a Thursday’s meeting, GFS representatives indicated the indoor garden facility would serve a variety of purposes, with about 60 percent of it going toward direct-to-consumer retail sales and the balance toward distribution.

Down the road, company officials have indicated the new operation could have an educational component, such as workshops on how basil is grown. Partnerships with nearby colleges and universities also were discussed as a possibility.

During deliberations, several members of the panel lauded the plans for the site. Commissioner Lydia Spottswood said she viewed Square Roots’ addition as an example of forward-thinking development.

“It seems like a brilliant opportunity for more and more (of this type of development) to happen, given the proximity to Lake Michigan,” Spottswood said. “We’re trying to brand this as a city of innovation, and this is an innovative process.”

Commissioner Charles Bradley said he, too, was pleased with the proposal, though he did weigh in on the proximity of the development, which is near the Kenosha Regional Airport.

“I’m happy, but I am a little surprised by the location,” Bradley said.!

Commissioners also discussed GFS and Square Roots’ planned building materials for the new facility, which include the use of metal shipping containers on a portion of the facility.

According to information commissioners reviewed, the shipping containers will be accessible from inside the building and will include windows cut into the ends of the containers, alongside perforated architectural metal screens along the exposed sidewalls.

The companies’ tentative plans state the shipping containers will be stacked two rows high, 10 containers wide. A portion of the facility also will be constructed with more traditional building materials, including a concrete foundation and exterior walls made of insulated metal.

“This is a really interesting, adaptive reuse,” Spottswood said.

The City Council, which has final say on the proposal, will take up the Plan Commission’s recommendation and could act on it in July.

Meeting in person

Thursday’s Plan Commission meeting was the first time the appointed body gathered in-person, since COVID-19 lockdowns forced an abrupt pivot to virtual meetings in March 2020.

As is the case with all Kenosha municipal meetings, the Plan Commission is reverting back to its pre-pandemic practices.

“I’m very excited about it,” said Ald. David Bogdala, who serves on the Plan Commission. “We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us, and I’m glad to see, for the most part, that we’re back to normal.”

Lead photo: A concept rendering of the southeast view of the proposed Square Roots and Gordon Food Service indoor garden facility adjacent to the existing GFS distribution plant at 10901 38th St.