Westminster BZA approves expansion of indoor recreation facility at 166 Airport Drive

The Westminster Board of Zoning Appeals voted unanimously to approve a modification that allows a private indoor recreation facility at 166 Airport Drive to expand into an additional unit. Chair Scott Graff moved to approve the special exception “as a modification of preexisting use,” and the motion passed with no public opposition.

Staff had recommended approval of the expansion, finding the applicant met the special-exception criteria and that the use remains appropriate in the industrial-restricted zone. Mark Kipa, director of community plan development, told the board the use is longstanding at the site and that staff saw no new impacts that would warrant denial: “we felt the applicant provided enough information and from the use itself being indoor and what’s surrounding the property … we don't see an increase in impact,” Kipa said.

Applicant representative Richard Hall described the property’s history and operations, saying the space has been used for indoor recreation since 2008 and operated continuously by the current tenant since 2012. Hall noted the expansion adds roughly 2,000 square feet (Unit 7) to bring the facility’s indoor area to about 8,800 square feet and said the business is equipped with sprinklers, alarms and handicap-accessible facilities. “It's been successfully run since 2012 with a number of students,” Hall said.

Board members debated whether to treat the application as a modification to an existing special exception or as a new special exception subject to a 2015 ordinance that limits private indoor recreational facilities to lots no larger than 3 acres. Ultimately the board framed its action as a modification of the earlier approval while reserving the right to evaluate future applications differently so as not to set an open-ended precedent. The board recorded the decision with the usual staff conditions; the vote was announced as unanimous.