Ben Garbacz/Daily Mining Gazette The Keweenaw Co-op will add an outdoor patio space at the north end of its building where the three dirt mounds currently are. This is following the co-op's zoning application approval by the Hancock Planning Commission meeting Monday.

HANCOCK — The city of Hancock could see another outdoor dining option, and some renovations could be coming to Skyline Commons, as a result of approvals by the Hancock Planning Commission Monday. Skyline Commons, formerly the Jutila Center, will have entrances renovated and the official use of the building will recognize more residential aspects in its mixed use classification.

Parking will be short for the building, but the spaces counted do not include spaces by the old emergency entrance according to City Manager Mary Babcock, who said parking will still be available for those involved with the Finnish School.

The Keweenaw Co-op had its zoning application approved in order to add an outdoor patio to the north side of its building next to the sidewalk. The patio will include a seating area which customers can eat and socialize outside, and the plans include a railing to keep the seating enclosed. A slight inclined walkway will allow accessibility to the patio for all to enjoy the new area.

In other action the commission approved McGann’s Building Supply’s first phase of its outdoor yard upgrades. McGann’s is transitioning from indoor to outdoor storage and the approval will allow the beginning of the project as long as there is a five foot gap between the project area and the sidewalk. Commission member Adam Griffis voted against the item.

The Commission also discussed the oldest house within Hancock, the Celtic Quarter House on Hancock Street. The house was built in 1866 and the city has sought to add it to the national registry. Commission Chairperson Steve Walton said Michigan Tech Associate Professor of History Sarah Scarlett, Hancock City Council member Lisa McKenzie and others worked to document the house and McKenzie met with the National Park Service to see whether the building was eligible for the national registry.

“We were looking at to see if it can on the national registry and it doesn’t have enough historical integrity left to meet the standards,” Babcock said after the meeting.

Babcock explained part of the reason the house was ineligible was due to its contents being emptied throughout the years. The city will now complete an application for the Hancock Housing Foundation to create a three unit residential facility out of the building. The handling of this property was part of the city’s Master Plan, of which the city is into its second year.