Planning commission approves Event Factory special permit at 1101 E. Arapahoe Rd.

The Richardson Planning Commission voted 5-0 to approve a special permit allowing an event center called Event Factory to operate in a leased space at 1101 East Arapahoe Road (suite 175) in the Collins Arapaho planned development.

Planning staff said the building is a roughly 106,000-square-foot, two-story multi-tenant office building and that the applicant's proposed lease area is approximately 43,100 square feet in the northeast corner of the building. Staff recommended using a parking ratio of one space per 100 square feet for the event center; the office park has 411 parking spaces total and, after accounting for office uses, staff reported about 217 spaces would remain available, which would meet the parking requirement for the proposed event use. Staff reported the applicant expects the facility to host up to 99 attendees and listed proposed hours of operation that include evenings and weekend hours.

Iris Baktisuma, the applicant, said she had waited 16 years to open an event center and described the space as well suited to her plans. "It's got the perfect parking," she said during her brief remarks. Baktisuma told commissioners she plans to staff events and said security personnel would be present at events to help direct attendees and keep traffic confined to the event space.

Commissioners asked whether the venue would serve alcohol; staff and the applicant said the operator would not provide alcohol but that catered events could bring alcohol if the caterer holds the necessary license. Commissioners also asked about building access after normal business hours; the applicant said the venue will provide a dedicated after-hours entry so event attendees would not need to pass through the building's main lobby when it is closed.

Commissioner Bonsai moved to approve the special permit for zoning file 25-1 (Event Factory); Commissioner Poynter seconded. The commission voted 5-0 to approve the permit with the conditions described by staff, including limiting use to the applicant's lease area, setting hours of operation and capping attendance at 99 guests.

Clarifying details recorded at the hearing included the event center's street address (1101 East Arapahoe Road, suite 175), the applicant's statement that the building is about 50% occupied by other tenants, staff's parking calculations, and the applicant's description of security plans for events.