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Planning and Zoning Board Public Hearing June 10, 2026 Page 2 *2. Approval of minutes of previous meetings as written. Minutes from the Study Session and Public Hearing meetings held on May 27, 2026. *3. Take action on the following zoning cases: *3-a. ZON26-00333 "Faith Christian School," 9.9± acres located at 3761 South Power Road. Council Use Permit and amending Conditions of Approval Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 12 and 13 of Ordinance No. 4646. This request will allow for a Private School. (District 6) Planner: Jennifer Merrill Staff Recommendation: Approval with Conditions 4. Items not on the Consent Agenda 4-a. GPA26-00111 "San Antonio Tire Shop" 0.4± acres located at 1609 West University Drive. Minor General Plan Amendment to change the Placetype from Urban Residential to Urban Center. (District 3). Planner: Emily Johnson Staff Recommendation: Approval with Conditions It was moved by Boardmember Peterson, seconded by Boardmember Carpenter, that case GPA26-001101 be approved. Upon tabulation of votes, it showed: AYES – Ayers, Peterson, Blakeman, Carpenter, Farnsworth, Montes, Pitcher NAYS – None ABSENT– None 4-b. ZON25-00110 "San Antonio Tire Shop" 0.4± acres located at 1609 West University Drive. Rezone from Office Commercial (OC) to Limited Commercial with a Bonus Intensity Zone Overlay (LC-BIZ) and Site Plan Review. This request will allow for an approximately 4,015± square foot Minor Automobile Repair facility. (District 3). Planner: Emily Johnson Staff Recommendation: Approval with Conditions Representative for the applicant, Alex Hayes displayed a PowerPoint presentation for the proposed case number GPA26-00111 and associated Zoning case ZON25-00111. (See Attachment 4) Mr. Hayes reiterated the applicant’s request for the General Plan amendment, rezone, and site plan review to support the locally owned, father-and-son business. He emphasized that the impacts of the tire shop are already known and non-theoretical, as it has operated for over a year with zero neighborhood complaints. Mr. Hayes addressed the board's parking concerns by Planning and Zoning Board Public Hearing June 10, 2026 Page 3 clarifying that installations take only 15 to 25 minutes with no overnight staging required, making the four proposed spaces operationally sufficient. He indicated a willingness to incorporate parking solutions directly into their Good Neighbor Policy as a condition of approval, moving forward to City Council and remained available to answer any questions. Vice Chairperson Peterson questioned the recourse available to neighbors if the proposed parking reduction from 11 to 4 spaces creates an overflow issue in adjacent areas. Mr. Hayes responded that customers typically wait on-site for brief 15-to-25-minute installations, eliminating the need for extensive vehicle staging or overnight storage. He noted that a nearby church parking lot presents a potential future opportunity for an agreement if necessary. Planning Director, Mary Kopaskie-Brown, added that because parking is prohibited on Longmore, any overflow issues would be handled via code compliance. However, Mr. Balmer noted that the applicant could administratively apply for a formal, recorded shared parking agreement with neighboring underutilized properties if needed. Chairperson Ayers suggested integrating a parking contingency plan into the applicant's Good Neighbor Policy, which staff confirmed could be added as a formal condition of approval prior to advancing to City Council. Vice Chairperson Peterson further inquired about the historical timeline and what specific mechanism triggered the current application. Mr. Balmer clarified that the application was brought to the city's attention by a code compliance case regarding a sign violation. Mr. Balmer explained that the site's highly restrictive Office Commercial (OC) designation has been an issue since annexation in 1958, as none of the historical uses fully conformed to the zone. This application represents an opportunity to clean up a legal zoning mismatch that has persisted for decades. Boardmember Montes asked what alternative commercial uses would be permitted on the site under its current zoning if the tire shop application were denied. Mr. Balmer responded that Office Commercial (OC) is the city's least intense commercial zoning district and features a highly restricted use palette. It is limited primarily to low-intensity professional offices, strictly prohibiting auto repairs and placing severe restrictions on restaurant uses. The following citizens addressed the Board in opposition to case number GPA26-00111 and associated case ZON25-00110: • Reed Done, a Mesa resident • James Adamec, a Mesa resident • Jose Hernandez, a Mesa resident • Wendy Madison, a Mesa resident • Edward Delke, a Mesa resident • Matt Taylor, a Mesa resident • Don Klinker, a Mesa resident • Veronica Erran, a Mesa resident • Roxanne Jetson, a Mesa resident • Tess Taylor, a Mesa Resident The above speakers offered a series of comments in opposition to the case number GPA26- 00111 and associated case ZON25-00110 including, but not limited to the following: • Parking Concerns: Severe apprehension regarding the reduction from the code-required 11 parking spaces down to 4 spaces on a highly constrained 0.4-acre parcel. Residents expressed concern that this configuration will trigger illegal overflow parking along Longmore, or force customer and employee vehicles to overflow directly into the adjacent residential cul-de-sacs and streets, such as Bedford Street and Henkel Street, impacting local residential spaces. Planning and Zoning Board Public Hearing June 10, 2026 Page 4 • Concerning 24-Hour Operations, Noise, Light, and Operational Disruption: Strong neighborhood opposition to the proposed 24/7 operating window. Residents noted that the surrounding residential area is quiet after 5:00 PM and voiced concerns over late-night light pollution from unshielded fixtures, structural noise from nocturnal impact tool usage, and general operational disruptions running directly counter to the peace and character of an established low-density neighborhood. • Public Safety: Concerns that a 24-hour commercial storefront will serve as an unwanted late- night gathering hub or crime nexus. Neighbors noted existing ongoing struggles with late-night loitering from nearby apartment complexes and autonomous vehicle drop-offs and argued that keeping a business open all night will attract unnecessary vehicle and pedestrian traffic through residential streets during early morning hours. • Existing Code Violations and Visual Blight: Immediate frustration regarding the site's current unpermitted operations, highlighting that the applicant has already created a neighborhood eyesore by stacking tires high above the property line wall. Residents expressed skepticism that proposed aesthetic improvements, such as the mural, will be upheld or properly enforced over time. • Failure to Meet the Burden of Proof, Public Necessity, or Market Demand: Objections that the applicant provided no market study, demand analysis, or data proving a community need for a 24-hour tire shop on this specific corner. Neighbors highlighted that the applicant already operates a location blocks away on Broadway, and that an active direct competitor (Pineda Tires) is located immediately adjacent to the subject property. • Failure to Demonstrate Need for a General Plan Amendment and Consistency with Area Plans: Critical opposition to forcing a square peg into a round hole by shifting the site's place type designation from Urban Residential to an Urban Center. Residents argued that the Urban Center designation is a severe geographical outlier, given that approximately 9,300 acres directly surrounding the site are exclusively low-density residential, and that the closest established Urban Centers are located a full mile south along the light rail corridor. Mr. Hayes returned to the podium to address the public comments. He emphasized that the proposed site plan and landscaping layouts are fully reviewed by staff and are legally binding under the site plan review, representing a substantial capital reinvestment that will permanently eliminate current blighted conditions. He clarified that the property is an existing commercial corner, and the high volume of BIZ modifications reflects trying to bring an older corner parcel into compliance. Addressing the 24/7 concerns, Mr. Hayes explained that the request supports a mobile roadside service unit handling highway emergency, requiring only one employee on- site overnight to retrieve tires from indoor storage. He added that the visual blight of tires stacked over the back wall would be resolved because outdoor storage is strictly prohibited. Boardmember Pitcher requested the draft Good Neighbor Policy be displayed and asked staff to confirm if the document is binding on future successors. Mr. Balmer confirmed that because compliance with the Good Neighbor Policy is included as a formal condition of approval alongside the site and landscape plans, it legally runs with the land and binds all future property owners. Boardmember Pitcher expressed concern for the neighbors on Bedford Street regarding potential customer and employee parking overflow, suggesting a formal parking contingency be added to the policy. Mr. Hayes noted that because operations run on an appointment basis with 15-to-25-minute indoor service times, they have experienced no parking issues during 18 Planning and Zoning Board Public Hearing June 10, 2026 Page 5 months of operation but agreed to incorporate a proactive parking table and remediation strategy into the Good Neighbor Policy. Boardmember Montes asked staff if any official citations or neighborhood complaints had been filed against the property regarding parking over the last 18 months of active operation. Mr. Balmer confirmed that no formal parking or noise complaints have ever been filed against the site, noting the sole code enforcement action that triggered this public process was strictly limited to a commercial sign violation. Boardmember Carpenter asked if the shop had been actively operating its 24-hour model during that 18-month trial window without generating complaints, and inquired if the new restricted traffic loop was currently active. Mr. Hayes confirmed that the shop did actively operate 24/7 without neighborhood incident until the sign violation occurred, at which point they voluntarily ceased late-night hours pending board approval. He clarified that the new traffic loop, which closes two existing corner curb cuts, routes traffic in from University Drive and exits them onto Longmore, is not yet active and will be fully constructed upon project approval. Vice Chairperson Peterson questioned the absolute operational necessity of the 24-hour window and asked staff if any other surrounding businesses on that intersection currently operate 24 hours a day. Mr. Hayes maintained that 24/7 flexibility is a core component of the business model to support their mobile dispatch unit. Mr. Balmer noted they did not have the exact operational hours of the surrounding intersection on hand but stated that the large commercial shopping center directly to the north carries a variety of commercial uses that are legally permitted to maintain 24-hour or extended late-night operations under current zoning text. Applicant Joaquin Guadarrama clarified that the shop’s standard hours of operation are from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM. Prior to receiving the sign violation, the business did operate 24 hours a day without any neighborhood complaints. During that initial move-in and setup period, the operators established strong, friendly relations with both the immediate residential neighbor and the adjacent tire shop. The request for 24/7 flexibility is intended to support their mobile service truck operations. The family owns two shops in Mesa: a full-service major auto repair facility at Alma School Road and Broadway Road, and the subject site at 1609 West University Drive, which is strictly minor tire repairs and indoor tire inventory storage. Without 24/7 access to this localized inventory, the mobile dispatch truck would be forced to drive 20 minutes to their Phoenix (32nd Street and Van Buren Street) or Chandler locations, significantly increasing roadside wait times for stranded highway motorists. Mr. Guadarrama noted that the overnight model would require only one or two employees to pull inventory or perform occasional emergency flat repairs indoors. He stated the business was previously unaware of the neighbors' frustration regarding tires stacked above the rear fence line, pledged to resolve the visual issue immediately, and expressed a strong desire to maintain a collaborative relationship with the community. Lastly, he confirmed that the proposed exit drive aisle is located entirely on the shop's property and remains structurally separate from the residential alleyway to the south. Following a collaborative dialogue between the Board and staff, Mr. Balmer recommended addressing the parking issue via a separate, standalone condition of approval rather than inside the Good Neighbor Policy. This mechanism allows staff to work out a flexible solution before the case reaches City Council, such as utilizing alternative compliance provisions under the code to resolve any parking deficiencies within 30 days should operational or code violations arise. It was moved by Boardmember Peterson, seconded by Boardmember Carpenter, that case ZON25-00110 be approved subject to the added requirement that staff resolve potential parking Planning and Zoning Board Public Hearing June 10, 2026 Page 6 issues before the case proceeds to City Council should the four on-site spaces prove insufficient during operations. Upon tabulation of votes, it showed: AYES – Ayers, Peterson, Blakeman, Carpenter, Farnsworth, Montes, Pitcher NAYS – None ABSENT– None Chairperson Ayers declared the motion carried unanimously by those present. 5. Adjourn. Without objection, the Planning and Zoning Board Public Hearing adjourned at 5:37 p.m. I hereby certify that the foregoing minutes are a true and correct copy of the minutes of the Planning and Zoning Board meeting of the City of Mesa, Arizona, held on 10th day of June 2026. I further certify that the meeting was duly called and held and that a quorum was present. __________________________________________ BENJAMIN AYERS, CHAIRPERSON DH (Attachments – 4)