Millbrae Planning Commission approves RockSalt Pilates at 154 North Rollins Road

The Millbrae Planning Commission approved a conditional use permit on May 18 to allow RockSalt Pilates to operate a health and exercise club at 154 North Rollins Road, a ground-floor tenant space in the Gateway at Millbrae Station.

Kaylee Chow, assistant planner for the City of Millbrae, told commissioners the tenant space is roughly 1,450 square feet within an existing six-story building of about 297,115 square feet. "The tenant space RockSalt Pilates would be located in is on the ground floor of the existing office building at the Gateway at Millbrae Station," Chow said, summarizing the application and staff recommendation for approval subject to listed findings and conditions.

Staff said the studio would install 11 Pilates reformer beds, include two accessible bathrooms and a reception area, and operate daily from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m., with classes of 50 to 60 minutes and staggered entry to manage circulation. Chow said the application estimates 50 to 80 clients per day. The Millbrae Station Area Specific Plan requires a conditional use permit for health and exercise clubs on ground-floor active frontages, and staff recommended approval consistent with those standards.

Commissioners asked for technical clarifications before voting. When a commissioner pointed to a blue-shaded area on the floor plan and asked what it represented, Chow said it denotes the area of tenant improvements, including accessible restroom work. Camden Santo of Square Three Architecture said the shaded zone corresponds to new slab work and plumbing access left open during original building construction: "that area is just an area of new slab work ... it's also the area that happens to have most of the development of the interior of the space."

A commissioner also asked why staff included specific operational limits such as maximum attendees and reformer counts. Chow said those numbers were drawn from materials submitted by the applicant and that the applicant may make non-substantial changes later with staff coordination.

With no members of the public wishing to speak, the commission closed public comment and a commissioner moved to approve the conditional use permit; another seconded. The motion passed 4-0. The commission's action is final pending a 10-day appeal period and payment of an appeal fee. Staff provided contact information for the City Clerk and the City of Millbrae website for appeal instructions.

The approval allows RockSalt Pilates to proceed with tenant improvements under the conditions listed in the staff resolution; any future non-substantial operational changes are to be processed through staff review.