The Belgrade Board of Adjustment voted 3-to-2 on April 22nd to deny six requested variances for a proposed gym and kennel facility at the southeast corner of Rizzo Lane and North Jackrabbit Road. Senior Planner Brad Stein presented the request, which sought to reduce front, side, and rear yard setbacks and place parking in areas prohibited under the Flex Employment zoning district. The applicant requested permission to reduce the front yard parking setback from 20 feet to 6 feet, the secondary front yard setback from 20 feet to 5 feet, eliminate the 10-foot side yard setback for parking entirely, place parking in the required landscape buffer, reduce the rear yard building setback from 20 feet to 10 feet, and waive the loading space requirement.
Staff recommended denial, citing the zoning ordinance requirement that variances only be granted when strict application would cause unnecessary hardship — not for convenience or profit. Stein noted the 0.97-acre rectangular lot presents no actual hardship, unlike irregular-shaped properties. Project designer Nathan Harmon acknowledged this, arguing instead that the design made sense given surrounding warehouses and storage units. Property owner Brad Hall described a boutique gym with instructor-led classes and a drive-up kennel model. Board members questioned why additional parking spaces requiring setback reductions were necessary when the project already met the code's minimum parking ratio of one space per 500 gross square feet.
Board Member Doug Crumpler moved approval; Karen Richert seconded. Acting Chair Harold Karl, Richert, and Matt Collingwood voted no. Crumpler and Teaghan Guffey voted yes. The applicant will need to redesign the project to comply with current zoning standards. Any kennel operation will also require a separate conditional use permit from the Planning Commission and City Council.