Dixon Planning Commission approves permits for new history museum

After 33 years of planning, the Dixon History Museum took a giant leap closer to becoming a reality Tuesday after securing a location.

The Dixon Planning Commission unanimously approved a conditional use permit for the museum to operate at the former Barn & Pantry location at 125 West A St.

One of the Dixon Historical Society’s goals since its founding in 1987 has been to open a museum to showcase artifacts and memorabilia from the city’s long history. Numerous fundraisers have been held over the years, and now it appears Dixon will be ready to have its own museum in the city’s downtown.

The space was previously occupied by The Barn & Pantry which moved a few doors down over the summer and was also once the home of Coast Icehouse, with that business’ sign still being prominently displayed.

Before the location could be secured, Associate Planner Scott Greeley said the commission needed to approve both a conditional use permit and a sign permit. The conditional use permit, he said, was required because the museum was not explicitly identified as a permitted use in the downtown commercial zoning district. However, he said uses that were not explicitly identified as permissible could be allowed if they are generally consistent with the intent of the zoning.

“Downtown Dixon represents Dixon’s history,” he said. “We tend to attract uses that represent and appreciate that history. It would be pretty hard to argue that the Dixon History Museum does not meet that intent, and this is effectively why staff is recommending approval of the conditional use permit.”

The proposed sign will use a similar font to that of the Coast Icehouse sign and placed near the double doors in the front.

“It’s effectively in line with the sign ordinance as well as the design standards outlined in design review and the downtown Dixon design guidelines,” Greeley said.

Chair Kevin Johnson inquired if the applicant was requesting use specifically for the Coast Icehouse building since the property’s Assessor’s parcel number was the same for the back parking lot and former Jay’s Safety Lane building. Loran Hoffman, vice president of the Dixon Historical Society, said the only parcel that would be leased would be the Icehouse building. She also expressed excitement for the opportunity to open the museum.

“We too feel it’s a good fit for the location,” she said. “We look forward to bringing all of our artifacts and memorabilia down there to share with everyone.”

Johnson was also enthusiastic about the project. He emphasized that certain larger artifacts may not be in the location at the beginning but it was a good start.

“Getting a footprint for a lot of our history I think would be a very cool thing,” he said. “I’m excited.”

In the staff report, Hoffman wrote that planned hours for the museum are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 2 to 5 p.m. Sundays, although arrangements can be made to extend the museum’s hours to accommodate school field trips, out- of-town visitors, and city and community-sponsored activities. There are also plans for monthly programs featuring local and regional historians, writers, artisans and musicians.

The commission voted 6- 0 to approve the permits. The commission is temporarily operating with six members as Commissioner Kristina Jardis departed last month to move with her family to the East Coast.