The Lumberyard Event Center at 780 W. Maple St. earned a recommendation from the City Planning Commission Tuesday for its intention to use a storage building for wedding event-related activities.

The commission voted 6-0 to recommend a special use permit request from owner Mark Shepherd to use the 2,000-square-foot building to the immediate north on the center’s property.

Shepherd explained, “It’s just a big empty box we’d like to use for purposes other than storage.”

He acknowledged there is a variety of options for the building, perhaps even a wedding, which prompted Commission Chairman JD Gonzales to insist only one event be held at the venue at a time.

The special use request will be taken up by the City Council at its Monday, July 17, regular meeting.

In other business at its meeting Tuesday night, the commission:

• Held another discussion with Main Street Director Holli McPherson about plans for an overlay ordinance, which is intended to encourage more retail businesses and customer foot traffic downtown. It was agreed that if the ordinance is adopted, it should come up for review every five years, the same as the master plan.
• Was told members will receive a raise from $38 to to $50 per meeting starting July 1. This was the result of a recommendation from the newly resurrected Officers Compensation Commission.