ZBA approves Crunch Fitness storefront exception at Pearland Broadway center with conditions

The Pearland Zoning Board of Adjustments on May 1 approved a special exception allowing reduced facade transparency for a tenant fit‑out at 2800 East Broadway Street (the former Conn's space), granting the applicant’s request with conditions after discussing alternatives to reach greater visibility along the Broadway frontage.

Planning staff summarized the request: J Plus Incorporated, represented by Jeff Jennings, on behalf of SW Broadway LLC (owner Chad Otton), seeks a special exception under the Unified Development Code to reduce the corridor overlay district’s 25% minimum facade transparency for a change of use from a department store to a gym/health club and an interior mezzanine addition of about 2,531 square feet. Staff calculated existing transparency at roughly 86 square feet (about 5.8% of the façade measured from ground to roof line) and said the applicant requested 440 square feet (about 13.6%) by measuring from the soffit to the ground rather than the roofline.

Staff noted the corridor overlay’s intent to encourage storefront transparency and said most nearby tenants in the shopping center have higher transparency; staff presented five options that would raise transparency to between about 12.7% and 25.1%, and recommended options that would come closest to the 25% standard.

The applicant’s construction director, Reid Trappagen of Crunch Fitness, told the board the gym model places a staffed kids’ area (KidsCrunch) and a tanning/hydromassage area at the front of the building for security and operational reasons. Trappagen said those amenities “have to be at the front of the building” and that visibility into those spaces would raise privacy and child‑safety concerns; he said the applicant was willing to “maximize the front lobby storefront to the maximum dimensions that we’re able to do,” but argued the parapet and canopy limit the practical window area.

Board members and staff explored compromise layouts. Staff explained that the UDC defines façade area from ground to roofline and that including the parapet in the measurement reduces the available transparent area; staff also showed examples of nearby retailers with higher transparency. Several board members proposed permitting full glazing of the recessed entry/arcade area and aimed for a practical target of at least 15% glazing. Trappagen agreed the storefront could be extended “to the corners” while retaining required mullion attachment points.

A motion to approve VAZ‑2025‑0125 carried 5–0 after the board conditioned approval on maximizing glazing in the recessed front (the board’s motion directed that the recessed area be converted to storefront glazing, and members stated they wished to reach at least 15% transparency). The chair announced the motion carried 5 to 0; the transcript does not record individual roll‑call votes.

Staff recommended final elevations and transparency calculations be submitted to planning staff for verification prior to issuance of any permits. The board’s approval allows Crunch Fitness to proceed with tenant improvements subject to meeting the board’s glazing condition and any related building‑permit requirements.