The plan for a new campus area high-rise apartment complex on Spring Street came closer to fruition Wednesday night after the city’s Urban Design Commission voted to give the project initial approval.

In a unanimous vote, the commission decided to give the first green light to the project that would build a 75-unit building with 240 beds.

Architect Christopher Gosch told the commission the project will include a grey exterior with native vegetation and landscaping at ground level to blend well with the structure. The building will also include parking stalls for mopeds, bicycles and automobiles.

The building would not be able to sustain a green roof because of costs, Gosch said. As a condition of the approval, the commission encouraged the developers to include a two-foot strip of environmentally friendly roof space.

Overall, members of the commission said they were satisfied with the project and said it had improved on its last informational presentation before the commission. Chair Bruce Woods called the building contemporary.

Commission member Mark Smith, despite his overall support for the project, said developers need to avoid making the building aesthetically unsound.

“Because the colors [of the building] are so close, I’m afraid it’s just going to look like a big concrete building,” Smith said.

Gosch and developer Otto Gebhardt will revise their plans according to the commission’s recommendations, which include moving the entrance of the parking stalls to avoid vandalism or theft and adding security features to discourage student cut-off points or possible areas of trespassing.

The commission also heard the first presentation of a potentially controversial proposed development at the corner of Merry and Winnebago streets on the city’s east side.

According to the development proposal, developer Apex Investment Group submitted to the commission, the new project would include a 22-unit apartment complex. In the proposal, Apex said they have been working with the Marquette neighborhood to settle on a design that will satisfy both the developer and maintain the “bohemian character” of the neighborhood.

In addition to approving the Spring Street project and listening to the Winnebago Street proposal, the commission also heard a plan to change the aesthetics of 660 W. Washington Ave., the former location of Blockbuster Video, to accommodate a future Panera Bread location.

Alexander Company representative David Kaul said the plan to bring Panera to the location has not yet been brought to the city approval process, but Alexander Co. was asked to design new signage in anticipation of Panera’s arrival.

Representatives from Target’s headquarters in Minneapolis were also present at the meeting to ask for approval to changes in the exterior of the already-approved Hilldale Mall location.

Roxanne Nelson, a spokesperson for Target, told the commission Target would like to change the background material on the exterior of the new Hilldale store from a cement board design to “EIFS”, or a synthetic stucco material.

The commission approved the cosmetic change in a unanimous vote.