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ITEM 3.c. TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS STAFF REPORT Meeting Date: 6/30/2026 Meeting Type: Town Council Special Meeting Submitting Department: Development Services Prepared by: John Wesley, Development Services Director Staff Contact Information: Phone: 480-816-5138 Email: jwesley@fountainhillsaz.gov Request to Town Council Regular Meeting (Agenda Language) CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: Approving a request for a CUT/FILL waiver for 13818 E. Coyote Way to allow cut and fill in excess of 10' on portions of the property. Staff Summary (background) The owner of the property at 13818 E. Coyote Way is preparing plans to build a new single- family home on this lot. The plans submitted for this 49,783 sq. ft. lot show a total disturbance area of approximately 21,000 sq. ft. The total area proposed under roof is 6,397 sq. ft. The lot slopes down from the street toward a drainage way across the rear (west side) of the lot. The western portion of the lot is in a drainage easement. The highest point on the lot is at the south-east corner at 2440' and the lowest is in the north-west corner at 2370'. The area of the lot closest to the street has a general slope between 15% and 20%. The most significant slopes are along the southern property boundary and the west side of the lot. The plans for this two-story home set the building pad at 2421', which is about the same elevation as the street where the driveway connects to the street. To create a level building pad, the area to the east and south of the home will be excavated to provide the driveway access to the garages on the south side of the house. This will have the effect of screening much of the driveway and garages from the street and the neighbors to the south. There is also a small area of excess fill on the outdoor living area behind the house next to the pool. This area of excess fill is not visible to adjacent properties. Staff has identified three objectives in reviewing cut and fill waiver requests. Those objectives are: 1. To reduce the visual impacts of the proposed developments as viewed from the adjacent properties and right of way. Cut. The area of cut is along the southern boundary of the property. Two retaining walls that comply with ordinance requirements will be used to step the land down to the finish grade. Given the topography and the curve of the street, the area of cut will be visible only to those on the property in front of the garage area. The maximum amount of cut is over 15', but this is in a relatively small area. Fill. The area of excess fill in in the rear portion of the lot. The excess fill is behind two retaining walls which comply with ordinance requirements. The lower wall is also partially screened by use of boulders. The rear areas of the lot slopes down to the drainage way with slopes in excess of 20%. The property behind this lot is part of the Fountain Hills McDowell Mountain Preserve. The nearest existing trail is over 450' away. 2. To review the measures applied by the designer to minimize the amount of cut and fill on the lot. The designer of this property picked a location in the center of the lot that, for the most part, balanced out the cut and fill requirements while fitting within the setback requirements. The excess cut along the south side of the lot is needed to provide for the driveway access to the garage area. Shifting the house further west would cause a more significant impact with additional fill needed due the steep slopes on the west side of the property. 3. What are alternatives to the proposed plan that would conform to the cut/fill requirements? Assessing alternatives to the current design that conform to ordinance requirements would necessitate submission of design options. Review of the property by staff finds there are significant challenges relating to the topography and configuration of the lot that make alternatives challenging without complete redesign of the desired home on this lot. The HOA has reviewed and approved the plans as designed. Related Ordinance, Policy or Guiding Principle Subdivision Ordinance, Article 5, Section 5.03. D. Subdivision Ordinance, Article 5, Section 5.06. D. Risk Analysis N/A Recommendation(s) by Board(s) or Commission(s) N/A Staff Recommendation(s) Staff recommends approval of the requested cut/fill waivers. Suggested Motion MOVE TO APPROVE a CUT/FILL waiver for 13818 E. Coyote Way (CFW26-000005) as requested. FISCAL IMPACT Fiscal Impact: Budget Reference: Funding Source: ATTACHMENTS 1. Case Details Maps