Attachment C - VPC Summary-Info - Z-20-21-4
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City of Phoenix • Planning & Development Department 200 West Washington Street, 3rd Floor • Phoenix, Arizona 85003-1611 • (602) 262-6882 Village Planning Committee Meeting Summary Z-20-21-4 INFORMATION ONLY Date of VPC Meeting June 7, 2021 Request From UR TOD-1 Request To PUD Proposed Use Single-family attached residential development, and uses per WU Code T5:3 Location Approximately 1,300 feet north of the northeast corner of Central Avenue and Indian School Road VPC DISCUSSION & RECOMMENDED STIPULATIONS: No speaker cards were received on this item. APPLICANT PRESENTATION Alan Beaudoin, of Norris Design, introduced himself as the applicant’s representative and the project. He provided an overview of the project near the western entrance to Steele Indian School Park on Central Avenue. The proposal is for 72 three-story townhomes on 4.59 acres designed to bring ownership opportunities immediately adjacent to a major park and within a short walk of two light rail stations. He provided an overview of pedestrian and vehicular circulation patterns, the Central Avenue streetscape, and the project’s interface with Steele Indian School Park. Steele Indian School Park is gated near the southeast corner of the subject property, closes at 10 pm, and the area immediately adjacent to the eastern edge of the subject site is used as a maintenance yard; for these reasons, he indicated that they will not be allowed direct park access and are therefore orienting the project inward with the exception of the pedestrian connection outside of the park gate. QUESTIONS FROM COMMITTEE Jewett noted that many townhome projects include vehicular accessways with pedestrians forced to walk in the narrow private streets or along garage doors and that this the plan appears to create this same environment. He asked Mr. Beaudoin to help walk through it. Attachment C Encanto Village Planning Committee Meeting Summary June 7, 2021 Page 2 of 3 City of Phoenix • Planning & Development Department 200 West Washington Street, 3rd Floor • Phoenix, Arizona 85003-1611 • (602) 262-6882 • Beaudoin responded that many of the units have floorplans conducive to front and rear access and that the site configuration includes a series of units oriented onto pedestrian pathways. • Jewett added that direct access to the park would be desirable. Mahrle asked how drivers wishing to proceed southbound on Central Avenue would achieve that movement and asked about the purpose of the north exit. • Beaudoin responded that the light rail would impede left turning movements out of the development and drivers would need to proceed northbound to a crossing and then complete a U-Turn. The north access easement will be used for egress only because the project will be gated, and the owner anticipates the egress may be desirable for owners located in certain parts of the development and/or depending on their destination. Rodriguez asked Mr. Beaudoin to explain the target market for this development. • Beaudoin responded that the project will likely attract more mature buyers without children and interested in urban living in Central Phoenix who view the proximity to the park, light rail, and other amenities desirable. • Rodriguez stated that the project is car-centric which does not respect the proximity to two light rail stations or the vision of the ReinventPHX plans. She added that the car-centric design and ample space for private parking ensure this is not a project for the future which is rapidly shifting toward transit and car-share configurations. She concluded by stating home ownership is important but should not also require a household to invest in private automobiles. • Mahrle added that a three-story walk-up configuration is generally not desired by mature buyers. Acting Chair Bryck asked about the size of the units and noted that he supports the addition of for-sale units in central Phoenix. • Beaudoin responded that he doesn’t have the exact numbers but that most units will be between 1,900 and 2,300 square feet. PUBLIC COMMENTS None APPLICANT RESPONSE None FLOOR/PUBLIC DISCUSSION CLOSED: DISCUSSION Rodriguez stated that LEED Certification is desired by this committee and that it is easier to make whole buildings efficient rather than unit-by-unit and that efforts to position a project for certification should start early because many of the points can be achieved through early decisions. In addition to energy benefits, the certifying agency for LEED (the USGBC) will help promote developments seeking certification. She then Encanto Village Planning Committee Meeting Summary June 7, 2021 Page 3 of 3 City of Phoenix • Planning & Development Department 200 West Washington Street, 3rd Floor • Phoenix, Arizona 85003-1611 • (602) 262-6882 reiterated that the project should be less car-centric and should be designed for the immediate future, rather than the past or present. Bryck added that he would also like to see Electric Vehicle Charging Stations. Benjamin noted the development proposal at the northeast corner of Central Avenue and Indian School Road which will drastically change the area toward walkability with new amenities such as grocery, employment, and restaurants. STAFF COMMENTS None.