The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors on Wednesday voted 5-0 to approve a $16 million bond package for Recker Gardens Apartments, a 132-unit low-income housing development in central Mesa that won city approval in January despite a parking plan that provides 62 fewer spaces than normally required.
The board met at 9:30 a.m. June 10 at the County Administration Building, 205 W. Jefferson St., Phoenix.
The developer, BFH Group, is seeking 215 parking spaces for the project at 6147 E. Main St. Mesa's standard calls for 277 spaces for a development of this size. Board Chair Benjamin Ayers called the gap "significant" at the Jan. 8 Planning and Zoning Board meeting, where the board voted 6-0 to recommend approval.
"This is not just a little bit off. This is significant," Ayers said, before adding that he supported the project because "it is absolutely a necessity to have these types of projects."
The lease would limit each unit to one parking space initially, with the option to apply for a second space if available. Land-use attorney Taylor Earl, representing the applicant, argued that parking demand at Low-Income Housing Tax Credit developments is consistently lower than at market-rate projects. "We are well over-parked from what the codes would require," Earl told the board. "We are doing far more than that at 215."
Board member Jamie Blakeman noted the site's location was not near light rail or a university campus and questioned whether overflow parking would affect nearby commercial properties.
Earl said the closest parking alternative was a commercial lot across the street — not a single-family neighborhood where cars would be disruptive. "This is a type of development that we desperately need in the State of Arizona and in the City of Mesa," he said.
The project calls for five three-story buildings — one with 36 units and four with 24 units — along with a clubhouse, lounge, barbecue and picnic area, playground, dog run, and a teen-focused outdoor recreation area. Of the 215 parking spaces, 132 would be covered and include solar panels.
Recker Gardens uses the federal 4% Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program. To qualify for a unit, households must earn no more than 60% of the area median income.
The bond package, not to exceed $16 million, is issued through the Industrial Development Authority of Maricopa County as Multifamily Housing Revenue Bonds.