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VA No. 2015 -06 <br />September 28, 2015 <br />Page 2 <br />Project Description <br />The applicant proposes to remodel an existing 23,397 square foot building for use as a Planet Fitness <br />health club. The exterior remodel will include reorienting the main entry from the north to the east <br />elevation to facilitate the use of underutilized parking located near Richey Street. The remodeled <br />building entry will include a new metal awning, architectural and landscape enhancements to frame <br />the main building entry, outdoor seating, and bicycle parking. The existing doors on the north <br />elevation will be for exiting only, and will be posted as such with interior panic bars for emergency <br />exiting. <br />The overall PacificCenter includes a total of 860 existing parking spaces. Due to the proposed <br />Planet Fitness reorientation of the main entry and related parking and landscape modifications, the <br />site will be reduced by four spaces for a total of 856 parking spaces. Based on the Santa Ana <br />parking code, re- occupying of the 23,397 square foot vacant retail with the proposed Planet <br />Fitness requires 1,268 parking spaces for the center, resulting in a parking shortfall of 412 parking <br />spaces (Exhibits 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8). <br />Planet Fitness will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, excluding holidays. Its services will <br />include exercise instruction for weight and cardiovascular training and physical fitness improvement, <br />all aimed at promoting a healthy active lifestyle. Some examples of exercise equipment to be <br />provided include bikes, cross trainers, elliptical, stepmills, treadmills, as well as a variety of bench and <br />press features. The health and fitness center will be staffed by approximately 13 to 15 employees, <br />with approximately six to seven employees working per shift. <br />Project Background <br />The retail portion of PacificCenter was developed in 2000, as part of a larger master plan for the <br />area. City records show that the 23,397 square foot building proposed for the new Planet Fitness <br />use was occupied by Staples retail store from 2001 through 2013. The building has remained <br />vacant since Staples closed its doors in 2013. <br />Planet Fitness was founded in 1992 in New Hampshire, opening the chain's first franchised <br />operation in 2003. Its business model targets to serve the "occasional or first time" gym users at <br />an affordable price. Planet Fitness now has more than 800 locations throughout the United States, <br />including the Planet Fitness located at 2725 North Bristol Street, which opened in Santa Ana in <br />May 2014. <br />General Plan and Zoning Analysis <br />The General Plan land use designation for the site is Industrial (IND), which allows a wide range of <br />manufacturing and industrial uses, as well as ancillary commercial uses. The proposed health club <br />use is intended to serve the needs of surrounding business and residents, and is consistent with the <br />general plan land use designation. <br />31A-4 <br />