Safelite AutoGlass is eyeing the previous Mattress Firm location at 2415 Capital Mall Drive SW as the possible new site for an auto glass repair shop.
At the Olympia Site Plan Review Committee meeting on Wednesday, May 10, Melissa Mayer, construction manager for the project, mentioned they plan to relocate from its Plum Street location, saying that the shop is no longer working for them.
Mayer said the current workspace has many issues, including the off-kilter floor.
"As technology advances, we have to perform in-shop recalibration, so we need a very level floor,” Mayer explained. “The building is not working for us anymore."
A narrative submitted to the review committee stated that the Mattress Firm store is currently unoccupied. The building is a freestanding structure with a single entrance/exit for vehicular movement on Capital Mall Boulevard and another entrance/exit on Black Lake Boulevard, with the parking lot having 22 parking spaces in addition to accessible areas and sidewalks for pedestrians.
Nick Temerario of Shremshock Architects and Engineers, of New Albany, Ohio, said they plan to add two garage doors to the building without compromising the existing parking space.
Temerario added that they would paint the building as per Safelite standards, as well as proposing to maintain the existing utilities and change accounts into Safelite's name.
Temerario inquired about the permit process for a change of occupancy from mercantile to business.
The site review committee has waived the land use process for this project.
Associate planner Lydia Moorehead explained that the project has no changes other than paint and doors. The applicant may go straight to a tenant improvement or building permit.
The location is in the HDC 4 zone, and repair shops are permitted.
"Looking at the previous use of retail use and changing to repair shop use, I don't see any change in the parking requirements. You would still be required to have 3.5 parking spaces per 1,000 square feet," Moorehead said.
Engineering plans examiner Zulaika Kim noted that the narrative submitted to the committee does not address solid waste needs. She required the applicants to undergo a solid waste scoping meeting.
Kim said the solid waste enclosure on the site needs to be redesigned to accommodate the front-load collection.
For transportation, the change of use does not generate over 20 net trips, so no frontage improvement is needed.
However, Kim told the applicants that they would have to replace damaged sidewalks if there were any around the site.
Olympia's Building Official Erik Jensen announced that building codes are transitioning from 2018 to 2021 on July 1. "Any buildings plans submitted before July 1 will be reviewed under the 2018 code, while plans submitted after that date will follow the 2021 code."
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jimlazar
Safelite needs to move. Their current location on Plum Street has inadequate parking for customers, and it spills out onto nearby streets. Our insurance company has sent us to Safelite, and it's difficult to drop off a car there.
The new location will be less convenient for us geographically, but will provide a better overall customer experience.
Many people are buying mattresses on-line, so it's not surprising to see a vacant mattress shop.
Monday, May 15, 2023 Report this