2019-40_Rock-Armor_CZC-Narrative_08.20.2020Architecture Northwest P.A. 224 16th Avenue South Nampa, Idaho 83651
matt@arcnw.com Ph. 208-467-3377 Fax 208-467-4343
DATE: Monday August 20, 2020
TO: Community Development; Planning Department
33 E Broadway Avenue, Meridian, Idaho 83642
ATTENTION: Planning Staff
PROJECT: Rock & Armor Fitness Center
1649 E Pine Street
Meridian, Idaho 83642
REGARDING: Certificate of Zoning Compliance – Narrative Letter
NARRATIVE: The owners of ‘Rock & Armor’, a fitness and training center, are proposing
to construct a new facility on two adjacent lots (parcels: R6108100010 and
R6108100020) at the southeast corner of the intersection of Locust Grove
and Pine Avenue. The proposed new building will be located entirely on lot 1
and on the western edge of lot 2, adjacent to the end of the building there will
be a 36 ft. X 100 ft. artificial field turf training and warm-up area surrounded
by lawn. The rest of lots 1 and 2 will be taken up by landscaping, parking and
drive aisles. The proposed facility will have a building footprint of 15,314 Sq.
Ft. and a total gross building area of 19,162 Sq. Ft. 3,848 S.F. of that being
an interior framed mezzanine level.
The new building will be a combination of a pre-engineered metal building
(13,500 S.F. PEMB) and a smaller hand framed single-story structure (1,814
S.F.) attached at the northwest corner of the PEMB. The smaller structure
will be constructed using wood stud framing over a cast-in-place concrete
foundation with a concrete slab-on-grade floor. The interior mezzanine will be
constructed inside the PEMB using concrete slab over metal deck on top of
steel floor joists. All other walls beneath and on top of the mezzanine will be
wood framed. The building will be fire sprinkled.
The main building entrance will be through the single-story volume at the NW
corner of the PEMB which also contains the lobby and reception desk along
with men’s and women’s restrooms, showers, and lockers. The remainder of
the building area will be used for different types of workout and fitness
training.
At the east end of the proposed new building, just outside the overhead
doors there will be a 3,600 SF (36 ft. X 100 ft.) artificial field turf training and
warm-up area where patrons will warm up for running, jumping, and
stretching. The area around the artificial turf will be landscaped lawn area
with a few trees spaced around (see landscape plan).
Architecture Northwest P.A. 224 16th Avenue South Nampa, Idaho 83651
matt@arcnw.com Ph. 208-467-3377 Fax 208-467-4343
There will be no outdoor lighting around the field turf area other than those
lights on the east end of the building. Outdoor training will take place only in
the warmer months of the year, May-November. The business will operate
only during daylight hours between 8:00 am and 6:00 pm.
The entrance to the site will be through a shared access driveway and drive
aisle (Rec. Inst. No. 106070248) near the NE corner of the site off Pine Avenue.
All utilities are available to the site along the Northern property boundary and
entering the site centrally from Pine Avenue (i.e. water, sewer, and gas).
There is also a second entrance to the site from N Nola road to the east. The
entrance turns into a shared drive aisle (Rec. Inst. No. 111012573) that runs
behind the existing daycare facility along the southern boundaries and turns
up into the proposed development west of the row of parking stalls that run
along the eastern property boundary for lot 2 block 1.
Review, and approval of the trash enclosure has been completed by Republic
Services. The trash enclosure is to be located on the northern edge of the
eastern boundary of lot 2 block 1, adjacent to the shared access drive aisle
(ref. proposed site plan included with the CZC/DR application packet).
There is an existing landscape buffer along the north and west boundaries of
lot 1 block 1, and along the northern boundary of lot 2 block 1 which is
already improved with grass lawn and trees which will remain. Some of the
trees in the existing landscape buffer are currently dead or are dying. The
developer is aware of these trees and has agreed to replace them prior to the
building’s completion. For proposed additional landscaping improvements
see the proposed landscaping plan also included with this CZC/DR
application.
The required parking has been calculated using the commercial parking
standard of one space per 500 gross square feet of floor area in accordance
with Meridian city Code Title 11, Chapter 3, in article C section 6 (11-3C-6).
The required number of parking spaces for the proposed project is (38)
parking spaces with (2) ADA accessible spaces per Table 1106.1 of the 2015
IBC (19,162 SF / 500 = 38.324 or 38 spaces). In the initial Site Plan
submitted to staff for review as part of the CUP application there were a total
of (45) parking spaces with (2) of those being ADA accessible and (43)
standard spaces proposed. After consulting with staff and the owner
regarding their needs an additional row of parking was added at the east end
of the outdoor training area. The numbers now stand at (56) total parking
spaces with (3) ADA accessible and (53) standard spaces which well
exceeds the required (38).
On Thursday, August 6th 2020, the Meridian Planning Zoning Commission
convened a public hearing on the requested CUP and voted unanimously to
approve the requested CUP with the conditions suggested by staff in their
report received by the applicant on July 29, 2020.
In the Staff Report there were (12) ‘Conditions of Approval’ placed by the
planning department and (2) by public works. The owner and applicant are
both in agreement with the conditions excepting in part condition number 9
which states that:
Architecture Northwest P.A. 224 16th Avenue South Nampa, Idaho 83651
matt@arcnw.com Ph. 208-467-3377 Fax 208-467-4343
“The Applicant shall comply with the structure and site design standards as set forth
in UDC 11-3A-19 and the Architectural Standards Manual”.
As stated in the staff report, “The site plan prepared by Architecture Northwest,
dated July 27, 2020, is approved as submitted with..” modifications. The
modifications specified in the report were that the cross access, and ingress/
egress easements be shown on the site plan and identified by instrument
numbers. These have since been added to the site plan ensuring that the site
design complies with UDC 11-3A-19.
The second part of condition no. 9 relates to compliance with the
Architectural Standards Manual which this project would easily do if figured
as an Industrial Building. In our pre application meeting for the CUP however
staff informed the applicant that it would be their intent to treat this project as
a commercial building because of its use and higher profile location. The
applicant came away from the pre-app meeting understanding that it would
not be strictly enforced as a commercial building but that at the very least the
north and east facades would have to be modified to more closely resemble
the highly visible west elevation.
Following the pre-app meeting the design of the north, east, and southern
elevations were all modified based on the feedback received by staff. On the
northern façade stucco wall bump-outs have been extended vertically to
create repeating parapet conditions. Between these repeating vertical
projections, the sloping roof has been extended horizontally and deeper,
boxed soffits were added. Beneath these boxed soffits high windows have
been added to increase the amount of fenestration. The large steel overhead
doors were removed from the north façade.
On the not very visible Southern façade the stucco wall bump-outs were
added albeit not extended vertically, as were the extended and boxed soffits
and the high windows mirrored on the northern facade. The bumped-out
stucco walls were also wrapped around the north and south facades onto the
east end wall mirroring the parapet conditions on the western facade. The
large overhead doors on the east end were also modified to be glazed
overhead doors instead of all steel.
The applicant would thus contest that a good faith effort has been made to
incorporate the feedback given by staff to design the structure more to a
commercial standard than an industrial one, and that in this respect the
applicant is in conformance with condition no. 9. It would seem noteworthy
that during the public hearing more than one commissioner positively
commented on the appropriateness of the building design as being a good
mix of both commercial and industrial which it could be argued would be
perfect given the location.
Architecture Northwest P.A. 224 16th Avenue South Nampa, Idaho 83651
matt@arcnw.com Ph. 208-467-3377 Fax 208-467-4343
All other “Conditions of Approval” have been addressed in the design or will
be throughout the construction of the proposed building project.
Should you have additional questions or need anything further in
consideration of this application please feel free to contact me at any time.
Thank you.
Kindest regards,
Matt Garner
Architectural Associate