PLANNING DIVISION
STAFF REPORT
6 Pages
Planning and Zoning Board
January 22, 2020
CASE No.: ZON19-00848
PROJECT NAME: Cadence Multi-family
Owner’s Name: PPGN-Ellsworth, LLLP
Applicant's Name: Shawn Byron, RVI Planning + Landscape Architecture
Location of Request:
Within the 9300 through 9500 blocks of East Cadence Parkway (north and east side). Located east of Ellsworth Road and south of Ray Road.
Parcel No(s): 313-25-005
Request: Site Plan Review.
This request will allow a multi-residential development within the Cadence at Gateway Community. Existing Zoning District: Planned Community (PC) Council District: 6
Site Size:17 ± acres
Proposed Use(s): Multi-residential development Existing Use(s): Vacant
Hearing Date(s): January 22, 2020 / 4:00 p.m.
Staff Planner: Lesley Davis
Staff Recommendation: Approval with Conditions
HISTORY
On October 15, 2007, the City Council approved an amendment to the General Plan to add Mixed-Use Community land use designation to the City’s community character types.
The City also approved an amendment to the Zoning Ordinance to add a Planned Community (PC) zoning district to the City’s base zones.
On September 22, 2008, the City Council approved a major General Plan amendment to change the land use designation on 1700 acres of property in the City that included the subject property.
As part of the amendment, the subject property land use was changed from Mixed Use/Employment, Mixed Use/Residential, office, Community Commercial and Medium Density Residential 4-6 to a Mixed-Use Community designation.
Although not yet annexed, the subject property was part of Mesa’s planning area. PLANNING DIVISION
STAFF REPORT
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On September 10, 2012, the City Council approved annexation of the property into the City of Mesa with designation of a comparable zoning of Limited Commercial.
On the same date, the City Council also approved to rezone the property from Limited Commercial to a Planned Community District and established the Pacific Proving Grounds North Community Plan, which was subsequently named as the Cadence Community Plan.
On June 12, 2019, the Planning and Zoning Board approved the Development Unit Plan for Development Unit 1, Phase 1 of the Planned Community District to guide development on the property.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Background: The subject site is 17± acres of undeveloped property within the Cadence at Gateway Planned Community District.
The request is for a site plan approval to allow development of multiple residence use on the property.
The submitted site plan shows proposed development of 195- single-story detached units with overall density of 11.95 dwelling units per acre.
Per the approved PCD, multiple residence is allowed in the district through a site plan approval by the Planning and Zoning Board. Per section 3.8 of the Community Plan (CP), Site Plan Review is required for all non- single residence development projects within Cadence at Gateway.
According to the applicant, the proposed development will be gated and designed in a resort style and provide a transition between the traditional single-family development to the south and east of the property, as well as the proposed commercial and office development to the north and west of the property.
Per the provided site plan, the primary access to the site will be from Cadence Parkway located on the western side of the property. A secondary exit only access will also be provided along Cadence Parkway located at the southeastern section of the property.
According to the applicant and the provided site plan, although the project is proposed to be gated, there are pedestrian connections strategically placed to provide connectivity to the adjacent developments within the Cadence at Gateway community.
General Plan Character Area Designation and Goals:
The property is located in a Mixed Use Community character area designation of the City’s General Plan. Per Chapter 7 of the General Plan, the primary focus of the Mixed Use character area designation is for large land areas where it is possible to develop a mixture of uses that create a complete and identifiable community.
Such mix of uses include employment, industrial, office, retail, medical, educational, community service, tourism, entertainment, open space, recreational, and residential uses to provide a complete community atmosphere.
The subject request conforms to the goals of the Mixed Use community character area.
Specifically, the proposed use is to allow the development of higher density residential that provide diverse housing choice for residence and help create a complete and identifiable neighborhood that aligns with the goals of the General Plan for a Mixed Use Community.
The proposed housing units will also help increase the population of the area and aid in supporting current and proposed commercial uses in the Plan Community District area; as well as help to create a complete and identifiable neighborhood as envisaged in Chapter 4 of the General Plan.
This chapter of the plan encourages the creation and maintenance of a variety of great neighborhoods that also create a sense of place for people to live, work, and play.
The request also conforms to the criteria for review outlined in Chapter 15 (pg. 15-1&2) of the Mesa 2040 General Plan.
Gateway Strategic Development Plan:
The property is also located within the Mixed Use Community District of the Gateway Strategic Development Plan. According to the plan, the focus of the Mixed Use Community District is to provide sustainability through the creation of a live/work/play community with a wide variety of land uses to include low to high density residential, commercial, employment, civic and recreational uses. The proposed request for multi-residential development conforms to the goals of the Gateway Strategic Development plan by providing higher density residential development that will support the future planned commercial and office uses within the Community, as well a place for people to live, work, and play.
Zoning: This property is zoned a Planned Community (PC) with an approved Community Plan (CP). The subject property is located within Phase 1 of the Development Unit 1 (DU 1) of the PC district. Approval of the PC included Land Use Groups (LUG) and allowed uses. The applicant has identified that the LUG they will be utilizing is the Community Multi-Residence (CMR). The subject request for multi residence uses are allowed use in the CMR LUG.
Site Plan and General Site Development Standards:
As stated, the site plan shows the proposed development of a 195-unit detached higher density single-story residential on 17± acres.
According to the applicant, the units will be available for rental and designed as a gated community with pedestrian connectivity to the surrounding uses.
The site plan shows provision of covered parking spaces and garages located along the central drive aisle in the development.
The residential units are also proposed to be constructed in small groupings of two to five units. With open spaces areas to support small community gatherings for residents.
The site plan also shows access to the site will be from Cadence Parkway located on the west side of the subject property (see exhibit 3.2) and a secondary exit only access on the southeastern side of the site. Section 13.3 of the approved community plan requires 410 parking spaces for the development. The proposed site plan shows 411 spaces, which is 2.1 parking spaces per unit. This conforms to the approved parking standards in the PCD.
> Overall, there are three large amenity areas proposed to support the development.
The amenities areas include a primary amenity located at the center of the development and consist of a community building/leasing office, swimming pool area with outdoor kitchen and shaded seating areas, a small dog run area, as well as large lawn area with variety of seating and a fire pit.
The second amenity area will be located toward the southeaster portion of the development and includes two large rectangular activity lawn areas with lawn gaming, such as Bocce Ball, Cornhole or Croquet, and passive shaded seating areas.
The third amenity area, as shown on the site plan, will be located at the northwestern edge of the development and consist of a large dog run area that includes terraced stadium type seating areas and a shaded plaza.
As part of the proposed site plan, the applicant is also requesting a minor modification to the General Development Standards for the PCD.
The Community Plan (CP) for Cadence at Gateway identified a process for an applicant to propose minor modifications to the General Development Standards.
Chapter 3 of the CP, specifically, Section 3.8(D) establishes the criteria to help determine a major vs. minor modification for a Site Plan within Cadence.
Once that determination has been made, Sections 3.9(a)(ii) of the CP allows minor modifications to General Development Standards to be considered and approved by the Zoning Administrator based on established criteria for proposed minor modifications.
In addition to the criteria established in the CP, Section 5.1 of the Development Unit Plan for Development Unit 1 Phase 1 identifies specific modifications to Section 7 of the CP that may be approved administratively by the Zoning Administrator, concurrent with Site Plan and Design Review.
The applicant is proposing two modifications to the General Development Standards, which comply with the criteria established that allows the Zoning Administrator to consider as an Administrative Request.
The proposed modifications affect the overall site plan, so they have been identified below.
- The first is a reduction to the minimum building separation from 25-feet to 10-feet between buildings on the same lot for single-residence rental bungalows, villas or cluster style residences. Staff has evaluated the request against the criteria and is supportive of the request. The size and heights of the units are more indicative of single‐family residential which typically have 6-foot to 10‐foot building separations within Cadence.
- The second requested modification is to reduce the minimum setback from 15‐foot to 5-foot along Cadence Parkway. This request is due to a recorded landscape tract that is 24-foot wide along Cadence Parkway that was recorded as part of the roadway dedication. The required setback of 15-foot, per the City standards, is measured from the property line, which would typically be from the right‐of‐way (ROW) of the Cadence Parkway. The recorded landscape tract moves that property line and requires the applicant to measure their setback from the edge of the tract instead of the right-of-way. Staff supports the setback reduction to 5-foot as it complies with the established criteria in Section 3.9(a)(ii) of the Community Plan and achieves a 29-foot setback, which exceeds the intended 15-foot landscape buffer from the street. This meets the intent of the General Development Standards to provide an appropriate landscape buffer between the roadway and the multi-residence units.
With the requested modifications, the proposed site plan is consistent with the requirements of the Community Plan and the DU (i.e. DU 1, Phase 1) and meets the review criteria outlined in Section 3.9(a) of the CP. (See condition #4.)
Design Review: The Design Review Board is scheduled to review the request on January 14, 2019. Staff will provide an update of the Design Review Board meeting and comments at the scheduled study session on January 22, 2020.
Surrounding Zoning Designations and Existing Use Activity: Northwest PCD Vacant North PCD (Eastmark) Vacant
Northeast PCD (Eastmark) Residential
West (Across Cadence Parkway) PCD
Subject Property PCD Residential
East PCD Residential
Vacant Southwest (Across Cadence Parkway) PCD Vacant
South PCD Residential
Southeast PCD Residential
Compatibility with Surrounding Land Uses:
The site is located within the Cadence at Gateway Community and adjacent to existing single residence properties to the east and south.
There is a planned commercial development to the northwest of the site that also includes attached higher density single residences.
The higher density resident is proposed to be developed to the west (across Cadence Parkway) of the commercial development.
The approval of a single story multi-residential use on the subject property will provide a transition between the single residences and the proposed commercial development. The proposed subject development, is consistent with the Community Plan and the DU Plan for DU 1, Phase 1 of the PC and consistent with the intended character of the district and surrounding land uses.
Neighborhood Participation Plan and Public Comments Section 3.7(b)(iv) of the Cadence at Gateway Community Plan includes requirements for Citizen Participation procedures and standards.
The applicant submitted a Citizen Participation Plan that conforms to the requirements of the Community Plan. The Citizen Participation Plan included notifications as identified in the CP, which were to the master developer, Queen Creek Unified School District, all registered neighborhood associations within one-half mile of DU 1, Phase 2, all property owners within DU 1, as well as all property owners within 750-feet of the boundary of DU 1. Additionally, the applicant sent e-mails to those parties on an e-mail contact list that was generated through the previous DU approval that they have included for their outreach.
The applicant also held a neighborhood meeting for residents on Thursday, November 21, 2019. Planning staff attended the meeting.
Issues discussed at the meeting included concerns with traffic, multi-family uses, shared amenities and pedestrian access.
The applicant will provide an updated Citizen Participation Report to staff prior to the January 22, 2019 Study Session. That report will include a summary of the meeting.
As of writing this report, staff has received one email from a resident with questions relating to the pedestrian access gates on the eastern edge of the site. The site plan showed to the residents at the neighborhood indicated construction of 3 pedestrian gates on the eastern edge of the property.
At the neighborhood meeting, several residents expressed concerns with proximity of the gates to the existing homes. Since the neighborhood meeting, the applicant has revised the site plan and reduced the number of access gates along the eastern side of the property. The site plan under consideration (see exhibit 3.2) shows only one gate on the east side that will exit out to an existing retention area. Staff will provide the Board with an update of any new contact with concerned property owners during the scheduled Study Session on January 22, 2020.
Staff Recommendations:
The subject request is consistent with the criteria for approving a Site Plan outlined in section 3.9(a) of the Community Plan; the Development Unit Plan for Development Unit 1, Phase 1.; as well as
the approved Community Plan and vision.
The subject request is also compatible with the Mesa General Plan and the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway airport.
Therefore, staff is recommending approval of the site plan with the following conditions:
Conditions of Approval;
1. Compliance with the final site plan submitted.
2. Compliance with Ordinance number 5115 and the adopted Pacific Proving Grounds North Community Plan.
3. Compliance with the Cadence at Gateway Development Unit 1 – Phase 1 Development Unit Plan dated June 4, 2019.
4. Prior to application for a building permit, apply for and receive Administrative approval from the Planning Director to:
a. Allow a 10-foot separation between buildings or comply with Community Plan requirements for building separation.
b. Allow a 5-foot building setback along Cadence Parkway or comply with the Community Plan requirements for building setbacks.
5. Compliance with all City development codes and regulations. 6. Compliance with all requirements of Design Review.
Exhibits:
Exhibit 1- Vicinity Map
Exhibit 2- Staff Report
Exhibit 3- Application Information
3.1 Project Narrative 3.2 Site Plan 3.3 Landscape Plan 3.4 Elevations
Exhibit 4- Citizen Participation Plan
Exhibit 5- Citizen Participation Report
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