Having grown out of his too-small bike sales and repair shop, this professional cyclist and entrepreneur worked out a land swap when approached by a developer to build the bike shop he always wanted. Giving his corner location for a new convenience food/gas store, he retained a one-third acre interior portion for the new bike shop building and parking. The developer, city planner, architect, and bike shop owner all worked together to locate the two new buildings on the street edges with parking between. The shared vehicle access and parking met both business’s needs.
The development agreement only allowed $75 per square foot to build the bike shop, yet the owner only required a “garage environment” with good light, heat, and air. The architect resolved to work within a basic rectangular building form and a simple palette of materials to answer the budget challenge without sacrificing quality design.