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City staff review pre-application for indoor pickleball facility at London-Bethel site
Summary
Port Orchard staff reported a pre-application meeting for a proposed indoor pickleball facility at the southwest corner of London and Bethel; the developer must revise a large metal building design to meet commercial design standards, city staff said.
City planning staff reported a March pre-application meeting for a proposed indoor pickleball facility at the southwest corner of London and Bethel that will require design changes to comply with Port Orchard commercial development standards.
Nick Bond, community development director for the City of Port Orchard, told the Economic Development and Tourism Committee that the proposed building — planned east of an AutoZone and a Rite Aid and adjacent to an existing gravel yard used by a truck driving school — was presented as a large industrial metal building not allowed under current commercial design standards.
“Based on our current regulations, that sort of thing wouldn't be allowed,” Bond said, and staff advised the developer to consider a smaller building with indoor and outdoor components, similar to a multiuse facility in Lacey the applicant cited, which combines roll-up garage doors, indoor courts and outdoor programming and includes food and beverage vendors.
Bond said the site includes a sizeable stormwater pond and critical areas, so total acreage differs from developable acreage; he estimated the parcel at “at least 5 acres” but cautioned that not all of it is buildable. He also said a code-enforcement case affecting the back half of the property is part of the developer’s motivation to propose redevelopment and to resolve permitting concerns.
Staff encouraged the applicant to return with a plan that more closely aligns to the city’s design standards — architectural features, windows and a less-massive building footprint — and to consider a configuration that combines indoor and outdoor space to activate the site. Bond said the city is awaiting the developer’s next step to submit an application.
Committee members asked clarifying questions about location and developable acreage. Connor Dahlquist, associate planner, and Jim Fisk, principal planner, participated in the exchange and confirmed staff will work with the applicant on design revisions and that the pre-application discussion did not constitute approval. No formal action was taken by the committee.
