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Council approves site plan for Johnston Community School District softball locker room and restroom building
Summary
The council approved a site plan for a new locker room and bathroom building at the Johnston Middle School / Wallace Elementary softball complex, citing compliance with setbacks, open-space and parking requirements.
The Johnston City Council approved Resolution No. 25-68 on March 17, 2025, granting site-plan approval for a new locker room and restroom building at the Johnston Community School District's softball complex adjacent to the Johnson Middle School/Walls Elementary campus.
Staff told the council the campus already had undergone several updates, including a newly constructed softball stadium and improvements to the baseball stadium. The campus is zoned Agricultural Reserve (AR). Staff said the property meets AR bulk regulations: front and rear setbacks of 75 feet and side-yard setbacks of 50 feet. The proposed building does not require removal of trees with a 6-inch caliper or greater, and staff said the site continues to meet the AR district's open-space and landscaping requirements; campus open space was roughly 92.7% before the project and would be about 92.4% after construction.
Staff noted the campus has roughly 1,000 parking spaces combined between the middle and elementary schools; the stadiums have combined spectator capacity of about 632 people and, using the code's one-space-per-four-seats metric, the parking supply exceeds demand. The proposed locker-room building itself does not add a parking requirement.
Council members, including parents and a council member who identified a daughter who plays softball, described the addition as addressing an equity issue for softball players who lacked nearby restroom and changing facilities. Staff said the building will connect to existing storm sewer, is outside FEMA flood zones, and will meet fire-protection requirements. Architectural elevations were provided although the AR district generally exempts the campus from architectural standards because it is more than 300 feet from a public street.
The council voted to approve Resolution No. 25-68. Staff said interior schematics and permit-level plans will be handled through the building-permit process.
