WALNUT CREEK, CALIFORNIA – Walnut Creek could soon become home to an enormous new indoor shooting range, complete with nine shooting lanes, firearms sales and training programs for everyone from first-time gun owners to law enforcement officers.
Elite Armory is seeking city approval to transform the former Lewis & Lewis Carpets building at 2615 North Main Street, just north of Third Avenue. The company currently operates firearms stores in Castro Valley and Tracy, with an existing indoor range at its Tracy location.
Under the proposal, the vacant 3,000-square-foot Walnut Creek building would receive a 1,280-square-foot addition, bringing it to 4,280 square feet. Plans also call for a completely redesigned facade, new landscaping, security cameras, additional lighting and a major expansion of the parking lot.
But the shooting range itself is by far the most notable part of the plan.
Not Your Typical Indoor Range
Elite Armory describes the proposed facility as an “ultra-high-end Tactical range,” rather than the more common indoor range built around a single stationary firing line.
According to the company’s operating plan submitted to Walnut Creek, the tactical design would allow authorized training exercises to take place from different positions within the range. That requires substantially more ballistic protection than a conventional facility.
Plans include a fortified ballistic ceiling, impact-resistant walls designed to withstand direct gunfire, ballistic wall baffles, sound-absorbing panels and a rubber berm trap to capture projectiles. Elite Armory claims the range would use three to four times as much ballistic steel as a conventional static range.
The company says the finished facility would be among the safest and most advanced commercial shooting ranges in Northern California.
Up to three shooters would be permitted in each of the nine lanes, creating a theoretical maximum capacity of 27 shooters. In practice, Elite Armory projects an average of approximately 11 shooters per hour, rising to between 18 and 20 during busy weekend periods.
The facility would offer introductory and advanced firearms courses, private instruction and other training focused on safe handling, storage and responsible ownership.
Would Neighbors Hear Gunfire?
Noise is likely to be one of the biggest questions surrounding the project, particularly because residential neighborhoods sit behind the North Main Street commercial corridor.
A noise consultant conducted 24-hour monitoring near the property, measured live gunfire at Elite Armory’s Tracy range and modeled the sound expected to reach four nearby residential locations.
According to the city’s staff report, modeled noise levels ranged from 26.9 to 45.9 decibels and remained below existing ambient noise during the proposed operating hours.
The study acknowledged that the distinctive sound of gunfire could be faintly audible at two of the locations when background traffic becomes quieter. However, the consultant concluded that the range would comply with the recommended noise limits if it incorporates the proposed masonry walls, insulated ceiling, acoustic baffles and tightly sealed sound-rated doors.
Public hours would run from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekends.
Elite Armory is also requesting permission to make the range available by reservation to law enforcement agencies and qualified trainers as early as 7 a.m. and as late as 9 p.m. Those extended hours would not be available to the general public.
The Proposal Is Already Drawing Strong Reactions
The project has produced a substantial collection of public comments both supporting and opposing the range.
Supporters argue that a professionally supervised local range would give gun owners a safer place to practice, offer valuable firearms education and generate new business activity and tax revenue in Walnut Creek.
Opponents, particularly residents of the nearby Larkey Park neighborhood, say a firearms store and tactical shooting range would be inappropriate near homes, schools, parks, churches and family-oriented attractions. They have also raised concerns about traffic, parking, security, noise and the overall character of the neighborhood.
Elite Armory says it would install multilayered alarm systems, continuously monitored interior and exterior cameras, strict employee access controls and an interior rolling security shutter. Staff members would also undergo ongoing background monitoring through the California Department of Justice.
The parking lot would grow from just five spaces to 21, exceeding the 17 spaces required under the city’s calculation. A traffic analysis projects approximately 35 to 43 vehicle trips during the weekday evening peak period.
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Approval Is Far From Guaranteed
Despite the headline-grabbing plans, the range has not received final approval and does not yet have a confirmed opening date.
The Walnut Creek Design Review Commission is scheduled to discuss the project at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, August 19. That commission will focus primarily on the building expansion, architecture, parking layout, landscaping, lighting and exterior materials.
Importantly, commissioners will only provide advisory comments and a recommendation. They cannot approve the shooting range at this meeting.
The project would subsequently go before the Walnut Creek Planning Commission, which would consider the required Conditional Use Permit, final design review and a proposed exemption from additional environmental review.
That means Walnut Creek may eventually get its ambitious nine-lane shooting range — but the project still has a potentially contentious approval process ahead of it.
