Attachment C - PHO Summary - PHO-3-22_Z-129-05-4.pdf

City of Phoenix — Formal (2022-04-20)

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REPORT OF PLANNING HEARING OFFICER ACTION  
Adam Stranieri, Planner III, Hearing Officer  
Bradley Wylam, Planner I, Assisting  
 
March 16, 2022 
 
ITEM NO: 1 
 
 
DISTRICT 4 
SUBJECT: 
 
 
 
Application #: 
PHO-3-22--Z-129-05 
Location: 
Southeast corner of 16th Street and Cambridge Avenue 
Zoning:  
C-2 
Acreage:  
1.56 
Request: 
1) Deletion of Stipulation 5 regarding ingress and egress 
from Cambridge Street 
Applicant: 
Javier Verdugo, Copper House LLC 
Owner: 
 
Javier Verdugo, Copper House LLC 
Representative: Javier Verdugo, Copper House LLC 
 
ACTIONS: 
 
Planning Hearing Officer Recommendation: The Planning Hearing Officer 
recommended denial as filed and approval with a modification and additional 
stipulations. 
 
Village Planning Committee (VPC) Recommendation: The Encanto Village 
Planning Committee heard this request on March 7, 2022 and recommended 
denial by a vote of 9-2. 
 
DISCUSSION: 
 
Javier Verdugo, owner and representative with Copper House LLC, provided an 
overview of the subject site and history of the surrounding area. He noted that he 
had owned and operated businesses on the subject property since approximately 
2006. He stated that the proposed deletion of Stipulation 5 would allow ingress 
and egress through an existing driveway on Cambridge Street. He noted that 
typical business hours are between 11 a.m. and 9 p.m. with some special events 
running until midnight.  He noted that the driveway is intended for service 
vehicles such as trash trucks and some deliveries. He noted that the proposed 
driveway is unlikely to contribute to any significant increase of traffic on 
Cambridge Street. He stated that neighboring businesses on Cambridge Street, 
including multiple parcels owned by the Phoenix Children’s Hospital, have a 
much higher impact on traffic. 
 
Attachment C

Planning Hearing Officer Summary of March 16, 2022 
Application PHO-3-22--Z-129-05-4 
Page 2 
 
 
Adam Stranieri, Planning Hearing Officer, stated that the Encanto Village 
Planning Committee recommended denial of the request and that no public 
correspondence was received. He asked Mr. Verdugo if the existing driveway for 
the parking lot was added without necessary permits or plan review. Mr. Verdugo 
confirmed that construction of the driveway was not completed with permits or 
plan review. Mr. Stranieri noted that the site plan displayed in the applicant’s 
presentation does not show a driveway along Cambridge Street.  He additionally 
noted that a site plan submitted to the City for a recent site plan pre-application 
does not include the northern parcels of Mr. Verdugo’s property or the 
Cambridge Street frontage. He asked Mr. Verdugo for clarification of what he 
intends to propose for the overall site. Mr. Verdugo stated that the proposed site 
plan in the presentation would only be used if Stipulation 5 were not modified or 
deleted. His intention is to provide the driveway along Cambridge Street.  Mr. 
Stranieri discussed the transition of land uses, properties, and expansion of the 
Phoenix Children’s Hospital campus over the years since the original rezoning 
case.  He also noted the current surrounding land uses and stated that the 
intensity of the uses on the subject site would not significantly increase traffic on 
Cambridge Street. He recommended that Stipulation 5 be modified to retain the 
prohibition on vehicular ingress and egress until necessary permits and plans are 
reviewed and approved for the driveway. He noted that three stipulations would 
be added regarding the archaeologically sensitive status of the site.  
 
FINDINGS: 
 
1) The request to delete Stipulation 5 is recommended to be denied as filed 
and approved with a modification.  The modification is intended to retain 
the stipulation but provide a path forward for the applicant to pursue the 
appropriate approvals required to retain the driveway. 
 
Since the approval of the original rezoning case in 2005, the land use 
pattern along Cambridge Avenue between 16th Street and State Route 51 
has changed significantly.  These changes include the elimination of 
multiple single-family and multifamily residential units and developments, 
redevelopment of a large parcel east of the subject site as an APS 
substation, and multiple land acquisitions and subsequent development 
related to expansion of the Phoenix Children’s Hospital campus.  The 
hospital campus additionally adopted the Phoenix Children’s Hospital PUD 
(Rezoning Case No. Z-25-20) which established zoning entitlements for 
hospital related uses on major portions of this frontage.  The single 
driveway proposed by the applicant in the current request represents a 
minor increase in potential intensity and traffic along this frontage.  It 
should also be noted that Cambridge Avenue already hosts signage 
intended to prevent cut through truck traffic and contains speed bumps.

Planning Hearing Officer Summary of March 16, 2022 
Application PHO-3-22--Z-129-05-4 
Page 3 
 
 
However, after review of historic aerial and street photography and permit 
history, it was determined that the driveway in question was installed 
between approximately late 2016 to mid-2018 without required permits 
and plan review.  The applicant confirmed that this was the case at the 
hearing.  There are important considerations that would have been 
evaluated during a permit application or plan review for this type of project 
including, but not limited to, appropriate paving materials, impacts to 
grading and drainage, and the width and other details of the driveway 
geometry.  Further, this work also appears to have included addition of a 
parking space, termination of a pedestrian pathway along the western 
edge of the building/driveway, and alterations to streetscape landscaping.  
Therefore, new language is recommended to require the applicant to 
obtain all necessary approvals for the driveway as determined by staff as 
a condition of retaining the driveway. 
 
2) The site is identified as archaeologically sensitive and three additional 
stipulations are recommended to be included to address requirements for 
archaeological survey and testing. 
 
STIPULATIONS: 
 
1. 
That Zoning shall not vest until all the landscape improvements and parking 
lot layout according to a site plan approved by the Planning and 
Development Department has been administratively verified by the 
Planning Hearing Officer. 
 
 
2. 
That A six-foot high decorative masonry wall shall be constructed along the 
east property line. 
 
 
3. 
That Cross access, cross drainage, and cross parking agreements SHALL 
be recorded for all the lots included in the rezoning request. 
 
 
4. 
That A 10-foot wide sidewalk easement shall be recorded for the east half 
of 16th Street or as may be modified by the Planning and Development 
Department. 
 
 
5. 
That There shall be no VEHICULAR ingress and egress from Cambridge 
Street,. UNTIL SUCH TIME THAT A DRIVEWAY IS REVIEWED AND 
APPROVED BY THE PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT 
DEPARTMENT.  SUCH APPROVAL SHALL INCLUDE ANY NECESSARY 
PLAN REVIEW AND/OR PERMITS, SUCH AS SITE PLAN 
AMENDMENTS, GRADING AND DRAINAGE REVIEW, AND DRIVEWAY 
PERMITS, AS DETERMINED BY THE PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT 
DEPARTMENT.

Planning Hearing Officer Summary of March 16, 2022 
Application PHO-3-22--Z-129-05-4 
Page 4 
 
 
6. 
That A no trespassing sign in English and Spanish will be posted at the site. 
 
 
7. 
IF DETERMINED NECESSARY BY THE PHOENIX ARCHAEOLOGY 
OFFICE, THE APPLICANT SHALL CONDUCT PHASE I DATA TESTING 
AND SUBMIT AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY REPORT OF THE 
DEVELOPMENT AREA FOR REVIEW AND APPROVAL BY THE CITY 
ARCHAEOLOGIST PRIOR TO CLEARING AND GRUBBING, 
LANDSCAPE SALVAGE, AND/OR GRADING APPROVAL. 
 
 
8. 
IF PHASE I DATA TESTING IS REQUIRED, AND IF, UPON REVIEW OF 
THE RESULTS FROM THE PHASE I DATA TESTING, THE CITY 
ARCHAEOLOGIST, IN CONSULTATION WITH A QUALIFIED 
ARCHAEOLOGIST, DETERMINES SUCH DATA RECOVERY 
EXCAVATIONS ARE NECESSARY, THE APPLICANT SHALL CONDUCT 
PHASE II ARCHAEOLOGICAL DATA RECOVERY EXCAVATIONS. 
 
 
9. 
IN THE EVENT ARCHAEOLOGICAL MATERIALS ARE ENCOUNTERED 
DURING CONSTRUCTION, THE DEVELOPER SHALL IMMEDIATELY 
CEASE ALL GROUND-DISTURBING ACTIVITIES WITHIN A 33- FOOT 
RADIUS OF THE DISCOVERY, NOTIFY THE CITY ARCHAEOLOGIST, 
AND ALLOW TIME FOR THE ARCHAEOLOGY OFFICE TO PROPERLY 
ASSESS THE MATERIALS. 
 
 
10. 
7. 
That The property owner SHALL record a Notice to Prospective Purchasers 
of Proximity to Airport in order to disclose the existence, and operational 
characteristics of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport to future owners 
or tenants of the property. 
 
 
 
Upon request, this publication will be made available within a reasonable length of time 
through appropriate auxiliary aids or services to accommodate an individual with a 
disability. This publication may be made available through the following auxiliary aids or 
services: large print, Braille, audiotape or computer diskette. To request a reasonable 
accommodation, please contact Les Scott at 602-376-3981 or TTY: 7-1-1.