DRC_STAFF REPORT_NORTHBEND II_041426.DOCX

PL250244 – NORTHBEND II 
Page 1
April 14, 2026
STAFF REPORT
NORTHBEND II (PL250244)
PROJECT DATA:
Project Address
1255 East Curry
Property Owner
North Tempe Propco, LLC
Applicant
Charles Huellmanten, Huellmantel and Affiliates
Zoning District 
(current/proposed)
MU-4 PAD (Mixed-Use, High Density, Planned Area Development 
Overlay)
Gross / Net Site Area
17.02 acres / 15.8 acres
Density
35 du/ac (39 du/ac maximum allowed)
Number of Units
595 units (285 in Phase II)
Unit Types
61 studio
306 one bedroom
210 two bedroom
14 three bedroom
4 four bedroom
Total Bedrooms
845 bedrooms (491 in Phase II)
Total Building Area
816,812 gross s.f. 
Building Heights 
Building 1 – 53’ (53’ maximum allowed)
Building 2 – 53’ (53’ maximum allowed)
Building 3 – 53’ (53’ maximum allowed)
Building 4 – 51’ (64’ maximum allowed)
Lot Coverage
29% (28% maximum allowed)
Landscape Area
36% (43% minimum required)
Building Setbacks
10’ front (Curry Rd.), 20’ street side (Miller Rd.), 20’ west side, 15’ 
reverse front (Gilber Dr.) (10’, 20’, 20’, 15’ min.)
Vehicle Parking
967 spaces (82 in individual garages, 448 in Building 4 garage, 
437 surface) (898 min. required)
Bicycle Parking
574 spaces (574 min. required)
COMMENTS:
This site is located at the southwest corner of Curry and Miller Roads. The property is surrounded by 
single-family and religious land uses to the north, industrial properties to the east, and by the Red 
Mountain Freeway (Loop 202) to the south. To the west of the site are industrial land uses within 
Maricopa County jurisdiction.
Existing uses on the site include three buildings containing residential and live-work units. Although 
this development was not intended to be phased, since the last building has not yet been constructed, 
these existing buildings are referred to as Phase I.
Existing entitlements for this property that will remain in effect are: 
ZUP200041
Use Permit to allow tandem parking
The applicant is requesting the Development Review Commission take action on the following:
PAD250009
Amended Planned Area Development Overlay to decrease the approved building height 
by more than 10 percent and modify the development standards for lot coverage and 
landscape area

PL250244 – NORTHBEND II 
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April 14, 2026
For further processing, the applicant will need approval of a Development Plan Review for Phase II of 
the project, which includes the fourth and final building.
SITE PLAN REVIEW
Two formal Site Plan Reviews were completed in December 2025 and February 2026. It was 
determined that a major amendment to the existing Planned Area Development Overlay would be 
required, and the applicant made revisions to their submittals to address staff’s comments.
PUBLIC INPUT

Neighborhood meeting required.

Neighborhood meeting held February 4, 2026 at 5:30 p.m. at the North Tempe Multi-
Generational Center.

See the attached summary of meeting provided by the applicant.

Community Development staff attended the meeting.

No members of the public attended.
PROJECT ANALYSIS
CHARACTER AREA PLAN
The site is within the Papago/North Tempe Character Area Plan, and more specifically, within the 
Scottsdale Road Business Corridor and Neighborhoods sub-area. The plan emphasizes preserving 
neighborhood character, walkability, open space, landscape and shade, mobility, quality design, 
affordable housing, clean energy, and public health. The requested PAD amendment addresses 
several of the principles as follows:

Preserving Neighborhood Character: the project incorporates color schemes and tree plantings 
along two major streets in the area.

Street and Alley Character: project landscaping will promote visibility and surveillance of the 
surrounding areas to ensure the safety of users.

Open Space/Public Gathering Space: the project allocated land on the south side of Gilbert 
Drive for a dog park.

Landscape and Vegetative Shade: the project uses drought-tolerant plants to promote water 
conservation.

Mobility and Connectivity: the project included the construction of Gilbert Drive to connect to 
Miller Road and will provide a 25-foot roadway easement along the west property line for the 
future construction of Scovel Road, north of Gilbert Drive. 
PLANNED AREA DEVELOPMENT
The applicant requests an Amended Planned Area (PAD) for a four-story mixed-use development with 
a density of 35 dwelling units per acre, containing 595 units.  The table below is a comparison of the 
development standards for the previously approved and proposed PAD Overlays.
1ST AMENDED PAD OVERLAY FOR BANYAN NORTH TEMPE
Standard
EXISTING
MU-4 PAD
PROPOSED
MU-4 PAD
Change
Residential Density (du/ac)
39
35
Decrease
Building Height (feet)
[Exceptions, see Section 4-205(A)]
Building Height Maximum
Building 1 – 53’
Building 2 – 53’
Building 3 – 53’
Building 4 - 64’
Building 1 – 53’
Building 2 – 53’
Building 3 – 53’
Building 4 - 51’
--
--
--
Decrease

PL250244 – NORTHBEND II 
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April 14, 2026
Building Height Step-Back Required Adjacent to SF or 
MF District
[Section 4-404, Building Height Step-Back]  
No
No
--
Maximum Lot Coverage (% of net site area)
28%
29%
Increase
Minimum Landscape Area (% of net site area)
43%
36%
Decrease
Setbacks (feet) (a) 
[Exceptions, see Section 4-205(B)]
Front (Curry Road)
Parking
10’
16’
10’
16’
--
--
Street Side (Miller Road)
Parking
20’
20’
--
Side (west)
20’
20’
--
Reverse Front (Gilbert Drive)
Parking
15’
16’
15’
16’
--
--
Vehicle Parking
898
898
--
Bicycle Parking
574
574
--
Upon reviewing the design plans approved in 2020, the applicant determined that the site areas (both 
gross and net) as well as the proposed building areas were not accurate to the building plans. 
Therefore, the site areas of the existing and proposed Planned Area Developments (PAD) are 
different. Additionally, since the area of Building 4 will be greater than what was identified in the 
original PAD, the lot coverage is increased by one (1) percent, and the landscape area is decreased 
by seven (7) percent. These differences are one of the reasons for the PAD amendment. This 
amendment also includes a reduction in the height of Building 4 from five-stories (62’-4”) to four-stories 
(44’-7”6), decreasing the development standard from 64 feet to 51 feet, 
Section 6-305 D. Approval criteria for P.A.D. (in italics):
1.
The development fulfills certain goals and objectives in the General Plan and the principles and 
guidelines of other area policy plans.  Performance considerations are established to fulfill those 
objectives. This project fulfills the goals and objectives of the General Plan and may encourage 
remaining property owners within the county island to seek annexation and redevelopment, which 
would revitalize the area.
2.
Standards requested through the PAD Overlay district shall take into consideration the location 
and context for the site for which the project is proposed. Taking the surrounding area and uses 
into consideration, the proposed modifications to the development standards are appropriate. The 
modifications will not produce a project that is significantly different than previously approved.
3.
The development appropriately mitigates transitional impacts on the immediate surroundings. The 
height of Building 4 is being reduced from five- to four-stories, making the project more compatible 
with the building heights in the immediate surroundings.
PLANNED AREA DEVELOPMENT CONDITIONS OF APPROVAL:  (Non-standard conditions are 
identified in bold) 
EACH NUMBERED ITEM IS A CONDITION OF APPROVAL.  THE DECISION-MAKING BODY MAY MODIFY, DELETE OR 
ADD TO THESE CONDITIONS.  
1.
A building permit application shall be made within two years of the date of City Council approval or 
the zoning of the property may revert to that in place at the time of application. Any reversion is 
subject to a public hearing process as a zoning map amendment.
2.
The 1st Amended Planned Area Development Overlay for BANYAN NORTH TEMPE shall be put 
into proper engineered format with appropriate signature blanks and kept on file with the City of 
Tempe’s Community Development Department within sixty (60) days of the date of City Council 
approval and prior to issuance of building permits.

PL250244 – NORTHBEND II 
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April 14, 2026
CODE/ORDINANCE REQUIREMENTS:
THE BULLETED ITEMS REFER TO EXISTING CODE OR ORDINANCES THAT PLANNING STAFF OBSERVES ARE 
PERTINENT TO THIS CASE.  THE BULLET ITEMS ARE INCLUDED TO ALERT THE DESIGN TEAM AND ASSIST IN 
OBTAINING A BUILDING PERMIT AND ARE NOT AN EXHAUSTIVE LIST.
TEMPE CITY CODE: Specific requirements of the Tempe City Code are not listed but apply to any 
application. 
ZONING AND DEVELOPMENT CODE: Specific requirements of the Zoning and Development Code 
(ZDC) are not listed as conditions of approval but apply to any application. To avoid unnecessary 
review time and reduce the potential for multiple plan check submittals, become familiar with the ZDC.
SITE PLAN REVIEW: Verify all comments by all departments on each Preliminary Site Plan Review. If 
questions arise related to specific comments, they should be directed to the appropriate department, 
and any necessary modifications coordinated with all concerned parties, prior to application for 
building permit.  Construction Documents submitted to the Building Safety Division will be reviewed by 
planning staff to ensure consistency with this Design Review approval prior to issuance of building 
permits.
BASIS OF BUILDING HEIGHT: Measure height of buildings from top of curb at a point adjacent to the 
center of the front property line.
FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION: Applicant/Developer proposing construction or alterations 
which may affect navigable air space is responsible for submitting a Notice of Proposed Construction 
or Alteration - Off Airport form to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and provide documentation 
of building height clearance prior to issuance of building permits. Per the FAA, filing shall be done a 
minimum of 45 days prior to construction. For additional information visit the Federal Aviation 
Administration, Obstruction Evaluation/Airport Airspace Analysis (OE/AAA) website at 
https://oeaaa.faa.gov/oeaaa/external/portal.jsp. 
HISTORIC PRESERVATION: State and federal laws apply to the discovery of features or artifacts 
during site excavation (typically, the discovery of ancestral (human) remains or associated funerary 
objects). Arizona Revised Statutes § 41-865 stipulates that “any landowner with intention to disturb 
human remains or having unintentionally disturbed human remains shall immediately cease any 
activity in the vicinity of the remains and shall notify the Arizona State Museum Repatriation Office of 
the encounter. Any human remains and funerary objects shall not be further disturbed without 
obtaining written permission from the Repatriation Office.” Additional information about requirements 
related to encountering and disturbing ancestral (human) remains and funerary objects on private land 
can be found on the Arizona State Museum website. While not required, applicants are encouraged to 
enlist the services of a qualified archaeological firm to conduct monitoring during ground-disturbing 
activity on private property that is Archaeologically Sensitive (AS). Contact the Historic Preservation 
Officer with general questions.
HISTORY & FACTS:
October 27, 2020
Development Review Commission recommended approval of a request for a 
General Plan Density Map Amendment from “Medium to High Density (up to 25 
du/ac)” to “High Density Limited (up to 45 du/ac)”, Zoning Map Amendment from 
AG to MU-4, Planned Area Development Overlay to establish development 
standards and Development Plan Review requests; and approved the Use 
Permit request to allow tandem parking for Banyan North Tempe (PL200128), 
located at 1255 East Curry Road.  The recommended approvals and approved 
request will allow for a new 4-5 story development containing 651 dwelling units

PL250244 – NORTHBEND II 
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April 14, 2026
with commercial (five live-work units). 
January 14, 2021
Annexation public hearing, notice of intent. 
January 28, 2021
First City Council hearing (Introduction) for reading of Annexation Ordinance 
(ANX-01-2021). Properties included in this annexation are for the purposes of 
the proposed Banyan North Tempe development. 
January 28, 2021
First City Council hearing (introduction) for Banyan North Tempe (PL200128).
February 11, 2021
Second City Council hearing (decision) to adopt Annexation Ordinance (ANX-
01-2021). Properties included in this annexation are for the purposes of the 
proposed Banyan North Tempe development.
February 11, 2021
Second City Council hearing (decision) for Banyan North Tempe (PL200128).
February 4, 2026
The applicant held a neighborhood meeting for this request, Northbend II 
(PL250244).
April 14, 2026
Development Review Commission will hold a public hearing for an Amended 
Planned Area Development Overlay to decrease the approved building height 
by more than 10 percent and modify the development standards for lot coverage 
and landscape area for a proposed four-story mixed-use development 
containing 285 dwelling units for NORTHBEND II (PL250244), located at 1255 
East Curry Road.
April 30, 2026
City Council will hold the first public (introduction) hearing for this request.
May 14, 2026
City Council will hold the second and final public hearing for this request.
ZONING AND DEVELOPMENT CODE REFERENCE:
Section 6-305 - Planned Area Development Overlay Districts
Section 6-312 - Modify Approved Development Plan, Use Permit, or Condition of Approval