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NARRATIVE Transportation supports this CUP contingent on the following assumptions - School staffing numbers remain as stated in this submittal -Staggered student arrivals will occur as stated -School will not increase enrollment beyond 100 students Received 4/24/2025 GAMMAGE & BURNHAM, PLC ATTORNEYS AT LAW 40 NORTH CENTRAL AVENUE 20TH FLOOR PHOENIX, ARIZONA 85004 April 23, 2025 Sydney Tirella Senior Planner Development Services Department City of Glendale 5850 West Glendale Avenue Glendale, Arizona 85301 RE: CUP24-09 & DR24-61 (SR24-217) Bezos Academy — 6511 West Alice Avenue (“Site”) Conditional Use Permit and Major Design Review Submittal – 3rd Submittal INTRODUCTION Gammage & Burnham, PLC is pleased to submit this Conditional Use Permit project narrative on behalf of Bezos Academy (“Bezos Academy” or the “Applicant”) regarding the approximately 1.17-acre property located at the southwest corner of Alice Avenue and 65th Avenue (the “Property”). The Property encompasses Maricopa County Assessor parcel numbers 143-19-003A and 143-19-001M and is shown below, outlined in blue. TELEPHONE (602) 256-0566 FACSIMILE (602) 256-4475 ___________________ WRITER’S DIRECT LINE (602) 256-4474 Bezos Academy 6511 West Alice Avenue Design Review and Conditional Use Permit April 23, 2025 Page 2 Founded by Jeff Bezos, Bezos Academy aims “to nurture the potential in every child to become a creative leader, original thinker, and lifelong learner by increasing access to early childhood education in under-resourced communities”. They achieve this mission by providing tuition-free preschool to children from low-income families. Bezos Academy is now seeking to establish five (5) tuition-free, full-day, year-round, Montessori-inspired preschools for children ages 3-5 years throughout the Phoenix valley with two (2) locations within the City of Glendale. Bezos Academy partners with local organizations and host-sites who understand the needs of the communities the school will serve and willingness to invest in early childhood education. For this site, Bezos Academy has partnered with Glencroft Center for Modern Aging (“Glencroft”). Bezos Academy’s proposed preschool shall be located within an underutilized existing building totaling 7,719 square feet in the northeast corner of the Glencroft campus, further outlined in red above. The preschool will be licensed by the Arizona Department of Health Service under the Bureau of Childcare Licensing. PROPERTY DESCRIPTION Glencroft has a long history of helping those in need since the 1960’s and is the perfect partner to host the proposed preschool. The Glencroft campus currently offers independent living, assisted living, memory care and long-term care for the aging population of Glendale. The entire campus is approximately 40 acres in size and was built in phases starting in the mid-1970’s and ending in the mid-1980’s. The proposed preschool will be located in the northeast corner of the campus in an existing 7,719 square foot multifamily building, as shown in the photo below. The exterior of the existing building will remain as is, as will the parking and drive aisles. The yards located along 65th Avenue will receive improvements typical of a preschool, such as outdoor play equipment and security fencing. Bezos Academy 6511 West Alice Avenue Design Review and Conditional Use Permit April 23, 2025 Page 3 EXISTING ZONING AND LAND USE DESCRIPTIONS As shown in the table below, the Property is zoned R-4 and is designated in the City of Glendale General Plan for Institutional uses. Direction Current Zoning General Plan Designation Existing Use North R1-6 PRD Medium-High Density Residential Single-Family Residential South R-4 MH Medium-High Density Residential Manufactured Homes East R1-4 PRD Medium-High Density Residential Single-Family Residential West R-4 & R-5 High Density Residential Multi-Family Residential Project Site R-4 Institutional Glencroft Care Center PROJECT SUMMARY AND SITE DETAILS The existing building will be remodeled to accommodate five (5) childcare classrooms, and an administration area for teachers including a warming kitchen, offices, staff lounge, storage rooms, and related toilet facilities. There will be no additional building area as a result of the Project. The kitchen will not have any food production and will be solely used to keep third-party, vendor-delivered food warm throughout the day until the meals are distributed to the children. The exterior play space will be set up in the existing yards and will be surrounded by a masonry and metal picket fence in accordance with City of Glendale Unified Development Code standards. The existing, adjacent covered parking areas will have 20 spaces dedicated to the preschool for exclusive use by teachers and visitors to support Bezos Academy’s operations as detailed in the Parking Justification Study. OPERATIONAL DETAIL Bezos Academy will be available for up to 100 children, with each of the five (5) classrooms accommodating 20 children with several teachers in each classroom throughout the day. Bezos Academy will have a total of 16 employees. The school will be open each day from 8:30am to 3:30pm. There will be a staggered start time (per classroom), starting at 8:30am. Parents will pick up children throughout the day as their schedule allows up to 3:30pm as there will be no aftercare offered at this location. Bezos Academy 6511 West Alice Avenue Design Review and Conditional Use Permit April 23, 2025 Page 4 DROP OFF & PARKING Bezos Academy will be using a driveline to accommodate efficient student drop-off and pick-up. Each morning and afternoon, parents and guardians will be utilizing a driveline, traveling along 65th Avenue and entering the south parking lot through the middle gate, which will remain open during drop-off and pick-up hours. One to two staff members will be located at the driveline, retrieving or placing the children in the vehicles, and escorting them to the crossing guard who will guide them across the crosswalk and onto the site during staggered, designated drop-off and pick-up times for each classroom, as shown on the image to the right. Parents and guardians will not leave their vehicle. Assuming 25 feet per vehicle, the 220 feet of queuing space will allow up to 8 vehicles at a time. The proposed development will include twenty (20) parking stalls for parents, visitors, and employees. Eight (8) parking stalls will be provided adjacent to the proposed school, on the west side of the building. These eight (8) spaces include two (2) ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) accessible stalls. An additional twelve (12) existing parking stalls will be provided south of the proposed school building for employees, along the driveline drop-off. Glencroft is fully supportive of the driveline drop-off and pick-up operations. A letter of support is attached to this submittal. EVALUATION OF USE PERMIT CRITERIA Pursuant to Section 35.2.402 of the City of Glendale’s Unified Development Code (“UDC”), Bezos Academy will need a Conditional Use Permit (“CUP”) to operate in the R-4 zoning district. We are requesting one (1) CUP to allow a private school without dormitories to facilitate the proposed preschool use. As stated in UDC Section 35.6.208, there are five (5) findings to grant the CUP, and they are addressed below: 1. That the proposed use is consistent with the policies, objectives, and land use map of the Glendale General Plan and the purpose of the zone district in which the site is located; Bezos Academy 6511 West Alice Avenue Design Review and Conditional Use Permit April 23, 2025 Page 5 The proposed preschool use is consistent with the Glendale General Plan, as the objectives and policies, as Goal PS-6 encourages that school facilities are adequate, well-maintained, and high quality. The General Plan land use designation for the site is Institutional, which promotes private facilities. Bezos Academy is to be fully integrated within the existing residential community and surrounding neighborhood, which will further diversify the mixture of land uses. 2. That the proposed use will not be materially detrimental to the health, safety or general welfare of persons residing or working within the neighborhood of the proposed use, or have an adverse effect on the property, adjacent properties, the surrounding neighborhood or the City when consideration is given to the character and size of the use and hours of operation; Bezos Academy is a relatively small preschool that will not only fit seamlessly fit the context of the surrounding neighborhood but will enrich the lives of residents of the Glencroft community, which is a senior and retirement community. In addition to bringing the presence of children to the senior and retirement community, Bezos Academy serves an important role in offering tuition-free preschool to income qualifying families. The preschool does not propose any modifications to the exterior footprint of the existing buildings, which allows for an organic and natural transition of the residential to preschool uses. Additionally, the school will stagger drop-off and pick-up times to mitigate any adverse impacts on local streets such as noise and traffic during peak operational hours. 3. That the proposed site is adequate in size and shape to accommodate the intended use and that all requirements for the zone district, including but not limited to: setbacks, walls, landscaping and buffer yards are met; The proposed Project is located in an existing building and will not result in additional building area. The only modifications proposed include the proposed playground equipment, storage sheds, and a 6-foot-tall screen wall along 65th Avenue. All site modifications and accessory structures will conform with the R-4 zoning district development standards and UDC Section 35.3.203, Accessory Uses and Structures. 4. That the proposed site has adequate access to public streets and highways to carry the type and quantity of traffic which may be generated by the subject use, and that on-site circulation is adequate to permit driveways, parking, and loading requirements in a manner which is safe and efficient; The proposed site has access to two (2) street frontages: Alice Avenue and 65th Avenue. As previously mentioned, the school’s staggered drop-off and pick-up time Bezos Academy 6511 West Alice Avenue Design Review and Conditional Use Permit April 23, 2025 Page 6 coupled with the designed driveline will allow for safe and efficient operations. The Parking Justification Study demonstrates that the 20 parking spaces on site are adequate to support the site’s use and functionality. Additionally, Alice Avenue and 65th Avenue allow on-street parking in public rights-of-way, if needed. The residential neighborhood to the east does not access 65th Avenue, therefore any perceived increase in traffic on 65th Avenue will not affect them. The size and scale of the preschool and is not expected to have an adverse effect on traffic in the neighborhood because of the breaks between student drop-off and pick-up and ample parking provided. 5. That adequate conditions or stipulations have been incorporated into the approval of the conditional use permit to ensure that any anticipated detrimental effects to public health, safety, and welfare can be mitigated. Bezos Academy demonstrates conformance with the UDC, while furthering the objectives and policies set forth in the General Plan. The preschool will provide a new, tuition-free school opportunity that supports underprivileged families and the overall community. The preschool will contribute to the overall health, safety, and welfare of the neighborhood. A Major Design Review (“DR”) application is required pursuant to UDC Section 35.6.212. In order to grant approval of the DR, the Development Services Director or designee shall find that the following six (6) criteria are satisfied: 1. The proposed development complies with the provisions of this ordinance and all applicable ordinances, master plans, and standards of the City of Glendale. The Project complies with the R-4 zoning district development standards, CUP approval criteria, and furthers the objectives highlighted in the General Plan. The proposed development demonstrates no change to the exterior of the principal buildings, and all new proposed structures and fences will conform with the UDC regulations. 2. The proposed development promotes a functional relationship of structures to one another, to open spaces, and to topography both on the site and in the surrounding neighborhood. Bezos Academy promotes a functional relationship between structures by fully integrating the preschool into the existing residential community. The building footprint will remain unchanged with only interior work and the buildout of a modest playground area for the children. The site demonstrates adequate pedestrian and Bezos Academy 6511 West Alice Avenue Design Review and Conditional Use Permit April 23, 2025 Page 7 vehicular access to the collector streets to ensure efficient traffic flow through the site. 3. The height, location, materials, color, texture, area, setbacks, and mass, as well as parts of any structure (buildings, walls, signs, lighting, etc.) and landscaping, is appropriate to the development, the neighborhood, and the community. As previously mentioned, there are no proposed changes to the building elevations, and the interior of the building will be repurposed to accommodate the five (5) classrooms. All additional structures (i.e. playground equipment, storage shed, and shade structure) will comply with the required accessory structure setbacks and will be fully screened by a 6-foot tall fence along the 65th Avenue street frontage. 4. Ingress, egress, on-site parking and circulation, loading and service areas, and pedestrian ways, are so designed to promote safety and convenience. As provided in the Parking Justification Study, the preschool’s staggered student drop- off and driveline system will encourage safe and efficient ingress and egress to and through the site, by providing the opportunity for vehicles and pedestrians to safely enter and exit the site during peak operational hours. Additionally, Bezos will improve the loading zones with striping and no parking signs in the site visibility triangles of the driveline for additional safety precautions. 5. The architectural character of the proposed structures is complementary with other buildings and predominant features within the area and of an architectural character desired for the City; avoiding excessive variety or monotonous repetition. All renovations made to the principal building will remain interior and all additional proposed structures will comply with the UDC accessory structure regulations and will conform to the underlying R-4 zoning district standards. 6. All mechanical equipment, appurtenances and utility lines are concealed from view and integral to the building and site design. The proposed mechanical equipment will be located on the west side of the building and concealed from view.