Attachment B - Approval Report 240006.pdf

City of Phoenix — Formal (2024-08-26)

View PDF Meeting page

Extracted text (via pymupdf) 6933 characters
1 
Planning and Development Department 
CONDITIONAL APPROVAL – ABND 240006 
Your abandonment request was granted CONDITIONAL APPROVAL by Craig Messer, 
Abandonment Hearing Officer.  
This request will NOT be completed until all the stipulations have been met and this request is 
formally adopted by City Council. It is the APPLICANT’S RESPONSIBILITY to ensure that all 
stipulations are satisfied. Please contact Dru Maynus at 602-262-7403 for questions and 
notification of your completion of the stipulations.  
Upon completion of the stipulations your request will be scheduled for City Council action. 
If the stipulations of abandonment are not completed within two years from the date of your 
conditional approval (your expiration date is April 11, 2026), this request will then expire.  At 
that time a new submittal will be required along with the required payment for the abandonment 
process. A one time, one year extension can be requested prior to the expiration date, with 
applicable extension fee due. 
ATTACHMENT B

2 
 
 
Planning and Development Department  
 
 
April 11, 2024 
Preliminary Abandonment Staff Report: ABND 240006 
Project# 02-788 
Quarter Section: 32-44 
District#: 2 
 
 
 
Location: 
East of North 70th Street, between East 
Thunderbird Road and East Voltaire Avenue 
 
 
Applicant:  
Steve Cottrell  
 
 
Request:  
To abandon an equestrian easement and 
public utility easement (PUE) between East 
Thunderbird Road and East Voltaire Avenue 
commencing at North 70th Street.  
 
 
Purpose of request:  
The applicant states They would like to 
move their walls and enjoy additional land 
they already own. It will increase security.  
 
 
Hearing date:  
April 11, 2024

3 
 
 
 
Hearing Summary 
Mr. Craig Messer, the Abandonment Hearing Officer calls the meeting to order on April 11, 
2024. 
 
Ms. Dru Maynus, the Abandonment Coordinator, introduced abandonment ABND 240006 and 
read the case into the record by stating the applicant, location, and purpose of the request, as 
well as City staff research. 
 
The Abandonment Hearing Officer asked the applicant, Mr. Steve Cottrell, if he wanted to add 
more to the conversation.  
Mr. Cottrell, said, no besides that the abandonment will increase the safety for the neighborhood 
as it did for the abandonment west of their proposed abandonment.  
The Abandonment Hearing Officer asked if other approved abandonment now has gates that 
were constructed to limit access to the prior equestrian easement area. 
Mr. Cottrell explained that two neighbors have since built out their backyards.

4 
 
The Abandonment Hearing Officer said okay. Then asked the Abandonment Coordinator to 
read through the comments.  
The Abandonment Coordinator read through City of Phoenix staff member comments. Then 
asked the Abandonment Hearing Officer if he wanted her to move on to going over external 
reviewer, utility company, comments. 
The Abandonment Hearing Officer said no not yet he wanted to give Josh Rogers with the 
Street Transportation Department an opportunity to discuss his comments first.  
Josh Rogers said he didn’t have anything else to add.  
The Abandonment Hearing Officer said okay, and for Ms. Maynus to move on to the utility 
comments. 
Ms. Maynus read through the utility company comments.  
The Abandonment Hearing Officer then asked if there were any other comments or stipulations 
from additional parties. 
The Abandonment Coordinator responded that staff has not received additional comments.  
The Abandonment Hearing Officer said that since there isn’t sewer, water or any other utilities in 
the abandonment area that essentially it would be a great candidate to abandon the equestrian 
easement and public utility easement that are functioning as an alley.   
The Abandonment Hearing Officer then asked Mr. Cottrell why he believed the equestrian 
easement was dedicated when it terminates at the back of commercial development.  
Mr. Cottrell, said he wasn’t sure, and that he owned his property since 1998 and the 
abandonment has no real use.  
The Abandonment Hearing Officer said okay.  
The Abandonment Hearing Officer then asked Ms. Maynus to read over the recommended 
stipulations.  
The Abandonment Coordinator read through each stipulations asking at the end of each 
stipulation if there were any questions.  
The Abandonment Hearing Officer stated that stipulation number 2 will need to be modified to 
provide context of the timing of which the legal description should be approved.  
Mr. Robert Martinez, Plan Tech Supervisor, asked the applicant if he wrote the legal description 
himself. 
Mr. Cottrell said yes. 
Mr. Martinez, explained that real estate department more than likely will require a registered 
seal on the legal description.  
Alyssa Neitzel, Site Planning Administrative Supervisor, concurred with Mr. Martinez that the 
legal description needs to be sealed by a registered professional. 
Mr. Cottrell, said he will work on getting that completed.

5 
 
The Abandonment Hearing Officer said he will grant conditional approval with modification to 
stipulation number 2 to read as such, “The applicant shall provide a legal description of the 
abandonment area and obtain City approval prior to City Council approval of abandonment 
request ABND 240006”. 
 
Recommended Stipulations of Approval  
The request of abandonment, if approved by the Abandonment Hearing Officer, will be subject 
to the following stipulations:  
 
1. Either a or b shall be complied with: 
a. All utilities shall be relocated to locations approved by each affected utility company.  
All work is to be done by each affected utility company at no expense to the affected 
utility company. An appropriate performance agreement, in an approved form and 
cost amount, must be posted with the Planning and Development Department to 
guarantee the improvements. 
 
b. All right-of-way shall be retained as a public utilities easement with 24-hour vehicle 
maintenance access.  
 
2. The applicant shall provide a legal description of the abandonment area and obtain City 
approval prior to City Council approval of abandonment request ABND 240006.  
 
3. All stipulations must be completed within two years from the Abandonment Hearing 
Officer’s decision.  
 
This conditional approval has been reviewed and approved by the Abandonment Hearing 
Officer. 
 
 
 
Hearing Officer Signature: ____________________________________   Date: May 29, 2024 
 
 
REPORT SUBMITTED BY: Dru Maynus, Abandonment Coordinator. 
 
cc: 
Applicant/Representative, Liridon Ulaj 
Craig Messer, Abandonment Hearing Officer 
 
 
 
 
 
If the area to be abandoned is within or adjacent to a redevelopment area established pursuant to 
A.R.S.§36-1471 ET.SEQ., Consideration may be given to the restrictions upon the property and the 
covenants, conditions and obligations assumed by the redeveloper in the determination of fair market value.