Rio Rancho taekwondo academy plans fitness center, office space expansion
A Rio Rancho taekwondo academy won zoning approval for a move that would add 1,500 square feet and raise class size to 40 students. The church land deal could also bring office space and new activity to Southern Boulevard SE.
Jim Ademuyiwa’s Master Jim’s Taekwondo Academy cleared a key hurdle for a larger home in Rio Rancho after the city’s Planning and Zoning Board approved a zoning amendment in early May for vacant land at 1600 Southern Blvd. SE. The change allows the property, once owned by Gospel Light Baptist Church, to be developed commercially and opens the door for a new fitness center and office space on a stretch of Southern Boulevard SE that could see more daily activity.
For Ademuyiwa, the move is as much about growth as it is about staying rooted in Sandoval County. His academy has operated for 13 years at 2418 Southern Blvd. SE, where he said class demand has outgrown the building. The current site offers about 3,500 square feet, while the new location would provide roughly 5,000 square feet, enough room to expand classes that now top out at 20 students to as many as 30 to 40 students per class.
The land swap also reflects a practical real estate decision. Gospel Light Baptist Church owned the property for several years before selling it under a real estate contract, which means the land remains in the church’s name until Ademuyiwa finishes paying for it. Senior Pastor Brent Lenentine said the business and office space are not tied to the church, but he welcomed the academy’s presence next door and said the church’s youth may use the new location. The academy will sit beside a new center for church youth, creating a closer connection between the two properties.
The City of Rio Rancho Planning and Zoning Division handles zone map amendments through the Planning and Zoning Board and the Governing Body, and that process mattered here because the property could not shift into commercial use without the zoning change. For nearby residents and businesses, the project could mean more foot traffic, a more active corner of Southern Boulevard SE, and a longer-term commercial use where the land had sat vacant. For Ademuyiwa, it gives a homegrown academy room to add fitness services, office space and more students while keeping the business in the same corridor where it has already built a local following.
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