Plans for a 6,895-square-foot Advanced Auto Parts store at the northeast corner of State Highway 15 and Edmonton Avenue got a favorable recommendation from the Hutchinson Planning Commission Tuesday.

With few comments or questions from the commission, a unanimous 6-0 vote sent the site plan and lot split to the City Council for final approval this coming Tuesday.

The lot split request, which was sought by property owner Menards Inc., will carve a lot slightly bigger than one acre from a 3.84-acre parcel between Highway 15 and Montreal Street created when Menards opened about a decade ago. About 2.75 acres of vacant land will remain between the Advanced Auto Parts store and the new Maurices store to the north.

Development of the lot by Advanced Auto Parts continues a retail boom that started on Hutchinson’s south side about two years ago. New buildings created along the State Highway 15 corridor in that time include Kwik Trip, Dollar Tree and Maurices, all north of the planned auto parts store, as well as the new McDonald’s at Century Avenue and Walgreens at South Grade Road, which opened earlier this month.

In addition, Dunham’s Sports reconfigured a large section of Hutchinson Mall next to Runnings and opened the 32,000-square-foot store in November.

The new Advanced Auto Parts store will face State Highway 15, but access will be from Montreal Street.

City staff recommended that the developers consider moving, or removing, one of the several trees shown on the landscaping plan to keep sight-lines clear near the Edmonton/Montreal intersection. Company officials indicated they would do that.

The plan didn’t meet Hutchinson ordinances for parking spaces (38). Planning and Zoning Director Dan Jochum said the company’s 28 planned spaces, though, exceeded the 21 suggested in the generally accepted standards in the Institute of Transportation Engineers Park Generation Manual.

“Staff believes this is more than adequate,” he said. “From a circulation standpoint, it is laid out quite nicely.”

Among the eight recommendations the commission accepted from staff was a trail easement must be developed to recognize an existing paved trail along the south side of the lot.

In other business, the commission tabled review of proposed amendments to city codes related to shoreland management. The delay gives staff time to review comments on the proposals provided by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.