Attachment B - Staff Report - Z-71-25-3.pdf

City of Phoenix — Formal (2025-10-15)

Extracted text (via pymupdf) 12802 characters

Staff Report: Z-71-25-3
August 6, 2025

Historic Preservation Commission
Hearing Date:
August 18, 2025
North Mountain Village Planning
Committee Meeting Date:
August 20, 2025
Planning Commission Hearing Date:
September 4, 2025
Request From:
C-2 HROD (Intermediate Commercial,
Hatcher Road Overlay District) (0.70
acres)
Request To:
C-2 HP HROD (Intermediate Commercial,
Historic Preservation, Hatcher Road
Overlay District) (0.70 acres)
Proposal:
Historic Preservation Overlay for Pedro’s
Mexican Food
Location:
Northeast corner of 6th Avenue and
Hatcher Road
Owner:
524 West Hatcher LLC
Applicant:
City of Phoenix Historic Preservation
Commission
Representative:
Kevin Weight, Principal Planner
Staff Recommendation:
Approval

Background

In November 2024, City of Phoenix Historic Preservation (HP) staff received a request
from Julia Taggart, President of the Sunnyslope Historical Society, to consider the
subject property for HP zoning. Ms. Taggart provided an Ownership Authorization Form
and Proposition 207 Waiver signed by the current owner, 524 West Hatcher LLC, and
prepared a draft historic property inventory form for the subject property, which was
later updated by HP staff.

On December 30, 2024, staff determined the property eligible for HP zoning and added
it to the City’s inventory of historic resources. Approximately two weeks later, on
January 13, 2025, the HP Commission initiated HP zoning for the subject property.

ATTACHMENT B

Staff Report: Z-71-25-3
August 6, 2025
Page 2 of 5

Property Overview

According to the Maricopa County Assessor, the subject property consists of three lots,
two of which are 6,600 square feet in size, and the third southernmost lot is 6,870
square feet, resulting in a combined lot area of 20,070 square feet, or 0.46 acres.

The nearly half-acre parcel contains one building, which is sited diagonally on the
parcel, facing southwest. Paved parking areas are located to the north and south of the
building, with the entrances to both parking areas from 6th Avenue. Landscaping is
minimal, except for trees in the right-of-way along both 6th Avenue and Hatcher Road.

Construction of the building began in November 1959, when a building permit was
issued by the City of Phoenix, and was completed by February 1960, when the
restaurant opened. Per the building permit, the restaurant was constructed by Al
Zeigler; the architect is unknown.

Eligibility Criteria

The eligibility criteria for HP overlay zoning and listing on the PHPR are set forth in
Section 807.D of the City of Phoenix Zoning Ordinance. To qualify, a property must
demonstrate significance in local, regional, state, or national history, architecture,
archaeology, engineering, or culture, according to one or more of the following criteria:

A. The property is associated with the events that have made a significant
contribution to the broad pattern of our history;
B. The property is associated with the lives of persons significant in our past;
C. The property embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method
of construction, represents the work of a master, possesses high artistic values,
or represents a significant and distinguishable entity whose components may
lack individual distinction; or
D. The property has yielded or may likely yield information integral to the
understanding of our prehistory or history.

In addition to the significance requirement, the property must also be at least 50 years
old or have achieved significance within the past 50 years if it is of exceptional
importance. The property must also possess sufficient integrity of location, design,
setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association to convey its significance.

Evaluation

Criterion A - Historic Events/Trends

The subject property, originally known as “Pedro’s Mexican Food” is significant under
Criterion A at the local level in the area of Commerce. Opening in 1960, one year after

Staff Report: Z-71-25-3
August 6, 2025
Page 3 of 5

Sunnyslope was annexed by the City of Phoenix, Pedro’s Mexican Food was one of
Sunnyslope’s first commercial restaurant developments.

With take-out service and an expansive dining room, Pedro’s Mexican Food was a
popular neighborhood restaurant, particularly for Sunnyslope High School students and
their families. Owned by Frank Guglielmo and family, this business sponsored
neighborhood Little League teams, soap box derby competitions, and Sunnyslope High
School’s yearbook. These activities solidified the connection between this family
business and the Sunnyslope community.

Pedro’s Mexican Restaurant was an important part of Sunnyslope for over two decades.
In 1982, the property changed hands and the new owners, Tom and Frances Batitsas,
opened Tom and Tiny’s Restaurant, which remained in business until 2003. Later that
year, Halim and Susana Mokbel opened Eye Opener Family Restaurant and remained
in business until 2020. The building was adaptively repurposed as Eye Opener Curated
Vintage by Joe and Adam McCallum in 2023.

Criterion C - Architecture

The Pedro’s Mexican Food building is significant under Criterion C at the local level in
the area of Architecture. It is an excellent representation of midcentury commercial
architecture utilizing the Contemporary style, a style whose forms are derived from
residential architecture.

Regarding the Contemporary style, Midcentury Marvels: Commercial Architecture of
Phoenix, 1945-1975, published by the City of Phoenix HP Office and Ryden Architects,
Inc., states the following:

This style of building usually is rectangular in plan with a single low-
pitched, front-gable roof with heavy beams projecting from the gable at the
ridge and sidewalls. Having no attics, the gable ends often are lighted by
windows. The storefronts are large planes of glass contrasted with wall
planes rather than holes punched into a box. Precast concrete “breeze
block” screen walls are used to shade windows or define planter areas at
windows and entrances blending indoors and outdoors. The structural
system usually consists of exposed ceiling beams supported on posts and
beams between which are walls of glass, masonry, or wood.

Ralph Haver & Associates were well known for their regionalized versions
of the Contemporary style using masonry walls and composite roof decks
of two-by-six boards. This construction system and style worked well for
big box retail stores such as the Lou Regester furniture store at 1701 East
Camelback Road (now Copenhagen), Barrows furniture store at 2310

Staff Report: Z-71-25-3
August 6, 2025
Page 4 of 5

East Camelback Road (now demolished), and Entz-White lumber yard at
909 East Camelback Road (now demolished).

Characteristic of the Contemporary style, the Pedro’s Mexican Food building has a
front-gabled roof with five exposed beams that project beyond the deep overhanging
gables they support. Though expansive at over 4,000 square feet, the building’s low-
pitched roof conveys a comfortable residential sensibility to the design. The large plate
glass windows are raked to match the roof pitch on the gable façades and invite light
into the interior. The planter areas in the concrete under the windows continue this
residential feeling. The concrete block walls have horizontal raked joints, and are
punctuated with projecting windowsills and block columns, providing interest to the
exterior wall surfaces.

Integrity

The subject property retains sufficient integrity of location, setting, design, materials,
workmanship, feeling, and association to convey its historic significance. It is still easily
recognizable as a late 1950s/early 1960s restaurant building. Alterations include a 250-
square-foot rear masonry addition built in 1970, which utilized a matching roof form and
materials, the loss of the original sign and fascia shade panel on the northwest façade,
and the installation of new lighting at the eaves and on the building façade.
Nevertheless, the multiple owners of the property have maintained the exterior very
well, with relatively few alterations, resulting in excellent integrity.

Boundary Justification

Section 807.E states that, when applying the evaluation criteria in Section 807.D, the
boundaries of a historic district should be drawn as carefully as possible to ensure that:

1. The district contains documented historic, architectural, archaeological, or natural
resources;
2. The district boundaries coincide with documented historic boundaries such as
early roadways, canals, subdivision plats or property lines;
3. Other district boundaries coincide with logical physical or manmade features and
reflect recognized neighborhood or area boundaries; and
4. Other non-historic resources or vacant land is included where necessary to
create appropriate boundaries to assist in meeting the criteria in Section 807.D.

The proposed HP zoning boundary encompasses 0.70 gross acres. It has been drawn
to include the subject property in its entirety as well as the adjacent portion of the right
way, as is customary in rezoning cases. The proposed boundary contains the
documented historic resource and follows parcel lines and street monument lines as
much as possible.

Staff Report: Z-71-25-3
August 6, 2025
Page 5 of 5

Findings

The rezoning request Z-71-25-3 to establish Historic Preservation (HP) overlay zoning
for the subject property should be approved for the following reasons:

1. The property meets the significance, age, and integrity requirements for HP
overlay zoning set forth in Section 807.D of the Zoning Ordinance; and
2. The proposed boundaries meet the eligibility criteria outlined in Section 807.E.

Stipulations

None

Writer
Kevin Weight
August 6, 2025

Team Leader
Helana Ruter

Exhibits
Sketch Map (1 page)
Aerial (1 page)
Site Photos (5 pages)
Building Permit Records (1 page)
Newspaper Advertisement (1 page)

¯
0
0.03
0.06
0.01
Miles
NORTH MOUNTAIN VILLAGE
COUNCIL DISTRICT: 3
APPLICANT'S NAME:
APPLICATION NO:
GROSS AREA INCLUDING 1/2 STREET
AND ALLEY DEDICATION IS APPROX.
MULTIPLES PERMITTED
CONVENTIONAL OPTION
* UNITS P.R.D OPTION
REQUESTED CHANGE:
FROM:
TO:
DATE:
REVISION DATES:
AERIAL PHOTO &
QUARTER SEC. NO.
ZONING MAP
* Maximum Units Allowed with P.R.D. Bonus
5/28/2025
Z-71-25-3
City of Phoenix Historic Preservation Commission
Z-71-25-3
0.70 Acres
QS 27-27
J-8
C-2 HROD ( 0.70 ac.)
C-2 HP HROD ( 0.70 ac.)
C-2 HROD
C-2 HP HROD
10
10
12
12
S:\Department Share\Information Systems\PL GIS\IS_Team\Core_Functions\Zoning\sketch_maps\2025\Z-71-25.aprx
7TH ST
19TH AVE
35TH AVE
NORTHERN AVE
12TH ST
7TH AVE
THUNDERBIRD RD
GREENWAY RD
PEORIA AVE
CENTRAL AVE
39TH AVE
I-17
BUTLER DR
31ST AVE
15H AVE
DUNLAP AVE
CHOLLA ST
CACTUS RD
SWEETWATER AVE
ACOMA DR
R-3
R1-6
P-1
C-2
R1-6
R-4
R1-6
Hatcher Road
Overlay
HATCHER RD
3RD DR
7TH AVE
5TH AVE
4TH AVE
5TH AVE
6TH AVE

Pedro’s Mexican Food
524 West Hatcher Road (a.k.a. 9401-9409 North 6th Avenue)

Proposed Historic Preservation (HP) Zoning Overlay shown in purple