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Commissioners hold Thaden Gym large‑scale waivers after concerns about monolithic south elevation
Summary
A proposed 17,000‑square‑foot gym at Southeast Tenth and Main was not advanced after commissioners and staff raised concerns about glazing, vertical articulation and facade treatment; item removed from the regular agenda for redesign work.
The Bentonville Planning Commission declined to advance a request for multiple waivers for a proposed 17,000‑square‑foot Thaden gym at Southeast Tenth and Main, citing concerns about long, unarticulated walls on the south (street‑facing) elevation. The item was removed from the regular meeting agenda after discussion in technical review.
Staff introduced the large‑scale development and listed five waiver requests, including reduced parking (the applicant sought to rely on off‑site and time‑staggered parking), and architectural waivers related to vertical articulation, glazing percentage, corner architecture and building plate requirements. The applicant’s architect, John Deppozergi of Jacks and Associates, said the programmatic nature of a gymnasium makes extensive glazing and multiple windows difficult because bleacher glare and court light control are operational concerns; he said design moves such as a stepped lobby, color panels and overhangs were used to reduce massing.
Commissioners and staff disagreed over whether the suite of architectural waivers—especially vertical articulation and glazing—was appropriate for a downtown location that is subject to the Landed Belt/downtown design expectations. Several commissioners said the south elevation read as a large metal box and asked the applicant to explore additional treatments: recessed panels, textured materials, landscape buffering, “look‑like” windows (closed on the interior) or other shadow‑creating elements to break up the facade. Staff supported the parking waiver given the evening timing of gym use, but recommended the project return with revised elevations before being placed on a formal agenda for action.
Outcome: based on the tech review conversation, the commission removed the item from the regular agenda for further design work; staff will meet with the applicant and advise on revisions before the project is resubmitted.
Speakers cited below are from the project presentation and the technical review record.
