The proposal to build a new Target store near the Hilldale Mall moved closer to approval Monday night at a meeting of the city’s Plan Commission.

The commission unanimously voted for final approval of the Planned Unit Development of the store at the corner of University Avenue and Segoe Road on Madison’s West Side.

According to Ald. Chris Schmidt, District 11, who represents the Hilldale area, the commission’s approval is one of the final steps to full approval of the project.

Schmidt said the city’s Urban Design Commission would review plans for the building’s design and make a recommendation before the city council approves the entire project.

Representatives from Target’s corporate headquarters said they hope to begin construction this spring and open the store by spring 2011. They answered questions about the plan, most of which concerned vehicle and pedestrian traffic in the Hilldale area.

The representatives also said the store will employ 150-200 people.

The new store will be a bi-level, urban location with a parking garage built at ground level and a sales floor on the upper level. According to Mike Stern, the project’s landscape architect, the plan now includes a patio at the store’s main entrance that will further separate pedestrian traffic from vehicular traffic.

Stern added changes to the landscape of the area, including a tree line along University Avenue and a direct entrance and exit point for Target’s freight trucks will make the design friendlier to pedestrians who wish to access the store.

Area developers also said they will widen sidewalks along Frey Street from three feet to seven feet in anticipation of more pedestrian traffic. Frey Street and Hilldale Way will also be widened for vehicular traffic.

There was no public comment in opposition of the project. Members of the commission lauded both the work of Target and Schmidt in working with neighborhood associations and city government to review the project.

“The silence tonight is overwhelming,” Tim Gruber, a member of the commission, said. “I think it’s really a testament to the good work that’s been done by Target… and Alder Schmidt.”

Schmidt said he felt satisfied with the project and the route it has taken from informational meetings of up to 300 people last June to general public acceptance.

“This has been an interesting process — a good process actually,” Schmidt said. “It’s been a bit of a roller coaster, but not really in a bad way.”

Schmidt said long-term plans for the site include a possible transportation node linking the store with a new light rail or bus rapid transit system and a collaborative effort with Shorewood Hills to build a pedestrian connection over University Avenue.

The commission also voted to defer discussion and voting on the changed proposal to redevelop the Edgewater Hotel to their next meeting. The commission will also consider the proposal to demolish and reconstruct Gordon Commons at an upcoming meeting March 22.