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ITEM 9.b. TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS STAFF REPORT Meeting Date: 3/3/2026 Meeting Type: Town Council Regular 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: Regarding the possible sale of Town- owned land in the 16500 block of E. Ashbrook Drive. Staff Summary (background) At the December 2, 2025, Town Council meeting, the Council reviewed and discussed the possibility of selling a select Town-owned parcels. At the conclusion of that discussion, the Council directed staff to develop further information regarding the parcel on E. Ashbrook Drive and bring it back for further Council discussion and consideration. Location The parcel being considered is located on the south side of 16500 block Ashbrook Dr. east of Fountain Hills Blvd. History When the original parcel and lot configurations were developed for Fountain Hills, the concept was to have lots along both sides of Ashbrook Dr. as shown in this early concept plan. The lots on the south side of Ashbrook Dr. were to be deep lots. The area north of Ashbrook Dr. (Plat 104) was platted in 1971, and the area south of Ashbrook Dr. (Plat 111) was platted in 1972. When the detail work was done to create the streets, blocks, and lots, Ashbrook Dr. shifted to the south. Plat 111 included the area for Ashbrook Wash. When this plat was prepared, a decision was made to provide a 210' wide easement for the wash. Given the final width of the easement reserved for the wash, a portion of the area along Ashbrook Dr., had insufficient parcel depth to plat lots. Therefore, the area between the street right of way and the easement for the wash was included with the parcel for the wash on the plat. Most of the homes along this street were constructed from the mid 1980's to the mid 1990's. The original plat included a street right-of way on the west side of this property that connected Ashbrook Dr. to Arrow Dr. Given the cost of crossing the wash, that street was never built and the portion of the right-of-way south of the wash has been abandoned. The area north of Ashbrook Wash was zoned R-2, Limited Multi-family Residential, and the area south of the wash was zoned R-3 Multi-family Residential. This zoning pattern continues today. Setting E. Ashbrook Dr. west of the subject parcel. Subject parcel looking west along E. Ashbrook Dr. E. Ashbrook Dr. east of the subject parcel. Lots in the neighborhood range in size from 10,061 sq. ft. to 16,244 sq. ft. with an average size of 11,280 sq. ft. There are only five lots greater than 12,000 sq. ft. The typical lot width is 80' - 85' and the typical lot depth is 120' - 130'. Of the 31 homes in the immediate area along Ashbrook Dr., 11 are single-family homes and 20 are two-family structures. Of the two-family structures, 11 are condominiums. Twenty- seven of the homes are single-story and four are two-story homes. Traffic Traffic volume and speed on this portion of Ashbrook Dr. were measured during the first week of February. Total vehicles on the street during this time were 1,598, which averages to approximately 500 vehicles per day. The capacity of this street is around 2,000 vehicles per day. Average speeds were under the posted 25 mph for this local street. Each new home generally adds around 10 vehicle trips per day to a street. Summary This property was initially intended for residential development. The property can be platted into 3 to 4 lots of a comparable size to the surrounding lots. There are no significant views that will be blocked by development. Development would keep the property clean and maintained to a higher standard than exists today. Additional development on these lots will not significantly impact the amount of traffic on the street. The property was conveyed to the Town without any restrictions on the use. The floodplain has been mapped since the original plat. The Town Engineer is confident lots can be platted with 120' of depth, similar to the other lots in this area. The right-of-way adjacent on the west side of this parcel is not needed and creates an issue by providing a way for individuals to access the wash. If the right-of-way is abandoned as part of this process, the east half can be combined with the rest of the parcel to provide a larger buildable area. Development Options The Town has no productive use for this property. It is too small for a park or any other Town use. There is a cost to the Town to maintain the property. There is a little over 38,000 sq. ft. of lot area available for development. With the R-2 zoning currently in place on this property, development options include: • Leaving the parcel as one lot and developing it with a combination of single-family and/or duplex units up to a maximum of 9 dwellings on the property as a whole. • Subdividing the property into 3 or 4 lots with single-family or duplex units on each lot. To provide the greatest revenue for the Town and protect the surrounding neighborhood, the best option is for the Town to plat the property into lots compatible to the surrounding lots and restrict them to single-story homes prior to going through the process of selling them. Related Ordinance, Policy or Guiding Principle N/A Risk Analysis N/A Recommendation(s) by Board(s) or Commission(s) N/A Staff Recommendation(s) If the Council finds there is sufficient benefit to the Town to continue to consider selling the property, staff recommends Council direct staff to create the needed plat and development restrictions, have the property appraised, then come back to Council for final determination on disposition of the property. If Council finds there is insufficient benefit to the Town at this time to move forward with selling this property, staff recommends Council direct staff to cease work on this property and either look at other similar properties that show potential for being sold or direct staff to cease work on exploring the options for selling property. Suggested Motion MOVE TO A. Direct staff to move forward with preparing this property for final consideration of selling; and/or, B. Direct staff to look at other properties for consideration by the Council; or, C. Direct staff to cease looking at the options for selling Town-owned properties at this time. FISCAL IMPACT Fiscal Impact: N/A Budget Reference: N/A Funding Source: N/A ATTACHMENTS None