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ITEM 8.b. TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS STAFF REPORT Meeting Date: 2/3/2026 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 a request for a CUT/FILL waiver for 16320 N. Borrego Trail to allow cut and fill in excess of 10' on portions of the property. Staff Summary (background) The owner of the property at 16320 N. Borrego Trail is preparing plans to build a new single- family home on this lot. The plans submitted for this 45,978 sq. ft. lot show a total disturbance area of 22,500 sq. ft. as allowed by the plat. The total area under roof is 6,693 sq. ft. The lot slopes up from the street with a low elevation of 2364 at the southeast corner to a high at the northwest corner of 2404, a 40' rise in elevation for an average slope across the lot of around 13%. The most significant slopes on the lot are along the south side, particularly near the southeast corner of the house where the slope is in excess of 25%. The plans for this single-story home set the building pad at an elevation of 2387'. To create the level building pad, cuts are being made to the western portion of the lot and fill in the eastern portion. This process creates two small areas of cut (shown in green) in excess of 10' on the western side, 177 and 4.5 sq. ft., and an area of 750 sq. ft. of fill (shown in red) at the southeast corner of the house. The ordinance permits an exemption of up to 5% of cut or fill under the house, the proposed fill is in excess of 10% of the area of the house. The applicant has stated their desire and need for a single-level home. This is common today, especially when viewed by the challenges older people can have navigating stairs. Staff has identified three objectives in reviewing cut and fill waiver requests. Those objectives are: 1. To reduce the visual impacts of the proposed development as viewed from the adjacent properties and right of way. Cut. The small areas of excess cut are located behind the house adjacent to the pool. Lowering the building pad to this level helps keep a lower profile for the home as it is set in the hillside. This excess cut will not be perceived by any adjacent property owners. Fill. The area of excess fill is in the front of the home and reaches a dept up to 13.5'. Two retaining walls in front of the home provide the transition that brings the property up to the building pad. Currently, there are no homes on the adjacent lots that will have a direct view of this area. The area around the retaining walls will be landscaped to reduce their impact. 2. To review the measures applied by the designer to minimize the amount of cut and fill on the lot. The home has been located near the middle of the lot to allow dirt being cut from the rear of the property to be used as fill for the front. The amount of cut above 10' is minimized with the maximum cuts being less than 11' in depth. The extra amount of fill needed in the front is due to a steep slope in this area of the property. There is also a ravine on the north side of the lot. Shifting the house would create similar and maybe more significant issues. Moving the home down the hill closer to the street will reduce the ability to enjoy the views from this lot. 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 and in discussions with the applicant, staff finds there are significant challenges relating to the topography and the need on the part of the owner to have a single-level home. Given the various changes in slopes with the center ridge and ravines along the sides, it will be challenging to design a house comparable to others in the neighborhood that does not require some level of excess cut or fill. In addition, the homeowner's association has given their approval to the design. This shows both their support for the project as designed and the cost the owner has already incurred to advance this design. 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 waiver. Suggested Motion MOVE TO APPROVE a CUT/FILL waiver for 16320 N. Borrego Trail (CFW26-000002) FISCAL IMPACT Fiscal Impact: N/A Budget Reference: N/A Funding Source: N/A ATTACHMENTS 1. Case Details Maps