Two development projects that would reshape a shuttered elementary school and expand a hospital go before the Sault Ste. Marie Planning Commission on Thursday, Oct. 22.

The commission will review the final planned unit development plan for Cloverland Electric Cooperative’s proposed Training & Technology Center at the former Washington Elementary School, 1200 Ryan Ave. It will also take up a site plan for a new day surgery addition at MyMichigan Medical Center Sault. Both items appear under new business in the meeting packet.

The meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall, 225 E. Portage Ave.

Washington School: final review before permit applications

Cloverland Electric wants to convert the former Washington Elementary School into a lineman training center and administrative offices. Sault Area Schools vacated the building at the end of the 2024-25 school year and offered it for sale or redevelopment, according to the city’s staff report for the Oct. 22 meeting.

The project has already cleared several hurdles. Cloverland first presented its concept to the Planning Commission on April 23. The commission unanimously recommended approval on July 23 with conditions addressing truck traffic and equipment.

Those conditions require truck-restriction signs near the site and a right-turn-only exit for trucks using the Dillon Street driveway. They also restrict equipment to what is needed to serve the site and require any backup generator to be enclosed and screened to reduce noise and impacts on neighboring properties.

The City Commission considered the preliminary plan at its Aug. 17 and Sept. 8 meetings and unanimously approved it with the same conditions, according to the staff report.

What remains is a final site plan review to confirm the plans match what was preliminarily approved. City staff found only minor changes to paved-area boundaries. Building sizes, locations and driveway positions stayed the same. The final plans add landscaping details, including a roughly two-foot berm at the west end of the property to buffer views from neighboring homes.

Staff recommends approval with additional conditions. Before a building permit application is submitted, the plans must include asphalt patching specifications, dumpster locations and enclosure details, and lighting specifications demonstrating compliance with zoning requirements. The proposed pole-mounted lighting must meet a 20-foot height limit, with details showing how the two lights along the south property line would confine light to the site.

Required truck signs must be installed before a certificate of occupancy is issued.

Cloverland’s Mike Heise wrote in a June column on the cooperative’s website that the project was not expected to affect Cloverland’s rates and had not been included in its recent rate increase. Heise said the cooperative was pursuing outside funding through state legislators, industry partners and potential tax credits.

The Washington School review follows the commission’s 4-1 vote on Aug. 27 to recommend denial of a separate development plan for the former Lincoln Elementary School, according to draft minutes included in the packet. Public comments raised concerns about traffic, infrastructure and apartment buildings in a single-family neighborhood.

MyMichigan day surgery addition

The commission will also review a site plan for a day surgery addition at MyMichigan Medical Center Sault, listed as Case No. 905.

The addition is part of a broader renovation at the hospital’s downtown campus. MyMichigan Health said in a May press release that it was investing nearly $19 million, including $3.6 million in state grants, to modernize facilities. The project covers outpatient surgery expansion, relocation of the Behavioral Health Unit from Kincheloe to the Sault campus, and a remodel of the Long Term Care Unit.

In an August statement to the Soo Leader, hospital president Kevin Kalchik put the total investment at $22 million. The sources do not explain the difference between the May and August figures.

The outpatient surgery expansion would add 18 patient rooms to the main building, according to the hospital’s announcement.

Groundbreaking for the broader renovation was scheduled for Aug. 24, the Soo Leader reported.

Also on the agenda

The commission will hear public input on a 2027-2033 Capital Improvement Plan call for projects. No commission vote is expected on that item. Public feedback will go to city staff, and a final draft is expected to return to the commission in January 2027.

Kelly Freeman, the city’s community development director, can be reached at 906-632-5703 or [email protected] with questions about the meeting.