Shorewood OKs permit for new yoga location
By Clare Walters For The Herald-News April 11, 2012 8:14AM
Updated: May 17, 2012 8:03AM
SHOREWOOD — A village business soon will be rolling out its yoga mats at a new location.
Essence of Life Healing Arts, a yoga studio and wellness center, is moving from its storefront in Hammel Creek Commons to 401 Earl Road.
The village board Tuesday unanimously approved a conditional-use permit allowing the business to operate within an industrial zoned district.
Trustee Gary Fitzgerald said in recent years more “recreational uses” have entered the Earl Road property despite the area’s industrial zoning, which was established years ago before areas to the west were developed.
The permit received unanimous approval from the planning and zoning commission, Fitzgerald said, and no objections were heard at a recent public hearing.
Essence of Life Healing Arts offers yoga, Pilates, boot camp, TRX training, dance, airbrush tanning and fitness and wellness retail.
Neighboring recreational tenants at 401 Earl Road include Strictly Fishing/Strictly Archery and Starr Dance. In the event of special tournaments or recitals, overflow parking would be arranged offsite with shuttle service bringing patrons to the property.
Trustee Dan Gron welcomed the new tenant.
“It’s a pretty low-impact repurposing of that area,” he said. “It’s a good thing.”
In other business, the village board unanimously adopted the village’s official 2012 zoning map.
Fitzgerald said the map’s approval is an annual occurrence, and this year’s updates are minimal.
Two properties — Crossroads Plaza and Car Care Collision Centers — will be rezoned to a commercial district and automotive service district, respectively. Additionally, the zoning of the Heritage Mill subdivision will be corrected to an office-commercial-industrial designation.
While adoption of an official map is required once per year, the village updates its base map as annexations, zoning changes or corrections are made and approved throughout the year. The map uses 20 different zoning codes with the majority of the village being designated as R-1, a medium density single family residence district.
