Attachment C - VPC Summary - Z-25-21-8.pdf
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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-25-21-8 Date of VPC Meeting July 12, 2021 Request From C-1, C-3 Request To WU T5:5 GW Proposed Use Multifamily residential with ground floor retail and office. Location Approximately 282 feet west of the northwest corner of 23rd Street and Van Buren Street VPC Recommendation Approval per the staff recommendation VPC Vote 12-0 VPC DISCUSSION: One speaker card was submitted for this item. Sarah Stockham, staff, presented an overview of the surrounding land uses and the proposed project, displayed aerial images, a site plan and elevations and reviewed the proposed stipulations. Colin Kenyon and David Kenyon, representing the applicant with Presence Design, introduced themselves and reviewed the architectural features of the proposed project, highlighting the residential units above ground floor retail, the unit layout to promote a sense of community and the frontage types to enhance the pedestrian realm on both Polk Street and Van Buren Street. Chris Colyer asked if an environmental issue had been identified on the site due to its status as a Superfund Site, and if the site was the source of contamination or if it was just where the contamination had spread. David Kenyon replied that the site is where the contamination has traveled to, and there is some concern for off-gassing, but the site has been tested by the EPA and they are doing continual testing on the site. Eva Olivas shared that she has experience with the Motorola Superfund Site and asked if there will be dedicated parking for guests, if the units will be market-rate, and if cars will enter and exit off Polk Street. David Kenyon replied that there are no federal subsidies being used for the site, so the units will be market rate. Colin Kenyon added Attachment C Central City Village Planning Committee Meeting Summary Z-25-21-8 Page 2 City of Phoenix • Planning & Development Department 200 West Washington Street, 3rd Floor • Phoenix, Arizona 85003-1611 • (602) 262-6882 that the resident parking will be gated and below grade, retail parking will be accessed from Van Buren Street and visitor parking for residents will be accessed from Polk Street, and there is street parking but it is not being used in the parking count. Chair Rachel Frazier Johnson asked what the total number of parking spaces provided on site will be and if the residential parking spaces included spaces for residents and visitors. David Kenyon replied that will look into the exact number, but they believe they are providing 526 spaces and they are required to provide 469, they included adequate parking for the retail area, and they will send Ms. Stockham their exact parking space calculation. Ryan Boyd asked if there was pedestrian access through the site. David Kenyon replied that there is not, but since it is a through-lot both frontages are treated as primary frontages. Mr. Boyd added that not having pedestrian access through the site was a missed opportunity. Darlene Martinez shared concern with parking, access, and the impact of the development to the area. Eva Olivas asked if all residents of the 305 units can exit out to Polk Street, shared concern that this project will increase traffic to the neighborhood when residents are using Polk Street to access 21st or 23rd Street, and asked if the applicant completed a traffic study and which neighborhood groups did they reach out to. David Kenyon replied that residents will have access to both Polk Street and Van Buren Street, they were not required to complete a traffic study, they received two phone calls about the site but the callers did not have concerns and they hosted their required public meeting and no one showed up. Public Comment Daniel Romero spoke on behalf of his mother, Marta Romero, who has lived across the street from the subject site since 2005, and shared a concern with traffic on Polk Street, the urbanization of the area and asked the applicant to clarify if there will be parking on Polk Street for residents. Beto Romero shared a concern with the large number of new residents walking by his house, and that he has already installed security cameras. Applicant Response David Keyon shared that all parking spaces for visitors and residents will be contained within the parking structure on site, and the arcade frontage on Polk Street is one of the approved frontage types in the Walkable Urban Code. Chair Rachel Frazier Johnson asked if the applicant intended to provide a parking study and to clarify how the neighbors in the area were informed of the project. David Kenyon replied that they were not required to provide a parking study, they can look into directing more traffic onto Van Buren, they can commit to providing a parking study Central City Village Planning Committee Meeting Summary Z-25-21-8 Page 3 City of Phoenix • Planning & Development Department 200 West Washington Street, 3rd Floor • Phoenix, Arizona 85003-1611 • (602) 262-6882 and they followed the requirements for neighborhood notification as outlined in the rezoning process packet, sending letters to all property owners within 600 feet of the site and registered neighborhood groups within a mile, and they received two calls but the callers did not have concerns. Dana Johnson asked if the bicycle parking will be enclosed and secured or if there will just be a place to chain them up. David Kenyon replied they will have a bicycle room and bicycle parking spaces in the courtyard. Eva Olivas commented that she was excited to see something positive constructed on the vacant site but shared a concern with the impact of a five-story building to the surrounding area and if the site will contain adequate parking, sharing an example of the northwest corner of Indian School Road and Central Avenue where there is plenty of parking in the garage but residents park on the street, and asked if there will be easy access to residential units from Polk Street, and she encouraged the applicant to provide a traffic study. David Kenyon replied that the elevators from the garage level to the units is in the middle of the garage, so it would be inconvenient to park on the street. Janey Pearl Starks echoed the concerns of Ms. Olivas and the request of a traffic study and shared a concern with neighborhood outreach and notification requirements. Motion: Darlene Martinez motioned to approve Z-25-21-8 per the staff recommendation. Dana Johnson seconded the motion. Discussion: Ryan Boyd shared that the committee cannot mandate who can or cannot park on the street and that the project is a great development to add density in a TOD area. Zach Burns echoed the comments of Mr. Boyd and shared that this site has parking requirements that are addressed in the Walkable Urban Code. Vote: 12-0, motion to recommend approval passed with committee members Boyd, Burns, Gonzalez, Johnson, Lockhart, Martinez, Olivas, Panetta, Rainey, Pearl Starks, Sonoskey and R. Johnson in favor. STAFF COMMENTS REGARDING VPC RECOMMENDATION: None.