Attachment B - Approval Report 250001.pdf

City of Phoenix — Formal (2025-05-07)

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Planning and Development Department  
 
 
 
 
 
CONDITIONAL APPROVAL – ABND 250001 
 
 
 
   
 
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 March 13, 2027), 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

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Planning and Development Department  
 
 
March 13, 2025 
Preliminary Abandonment Staff Report: ABND 250001 
Project# 01-1415 
 Quarter Section: 30-25 
District#: 3 
 
 
Location: 
 
 
 
 
 
2600 W Sonoran Desert Drive 
 
Applicant:  
K.Hovnanian Phoenix Division, Inc. / Chuck 
Chisholm 
 
Request:  
Request to abandon a rectangular drainage 
easement (totaling to 63,066 sf) located 
immediately north of Sonoran Desert Drive, 
an irregular shaped drainage easement 
(totaling to 98,099 sf) immediately south of 
North Foothills Drive, a trapezoidal drainage 
easement (totaling to 1,022 sf) located near  
the southeast corner of north of Sonoran 
Desert Drive and North Valley Parkway, a 
rectangular temporary drainage easement 
(totaling to 36,829 sf) located near  the 
southeast corner of north of Sonoran Desert 
Drive and North Valley Parkway, a 
rectangular sidewalk easement (totaling to 
5,783 sf) located west of North Valley 
Parkway, and a rectangular shaped slope 
easement (totaling to 14,888 sf) 
immediately north of Sonoran Desert Drive, 
and temporary.*ON MARCH 13, 2025, THE 
APPLICANT OPTED TO REMOVE 
ABANDONMENT OF THE SLOPE EASEMENT 
FROM THE ABANDONMENT REQUEST. 
 
Purpose of request:  
The Sonoran Foothills ll Parcel 5B 
subdivision is planned in this location. 
Easements will be dedicated on the final 
where appropriate. As a result, the existing 
easements are no longer needed. 
 
Hearing date:  
March 13, 2025

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City Staff Research 
City Staff research shows that the slope easement and sidewalk easement were dedicated as 
an easements as shown on the Sonoran Foothills PCD Final Plat dated May 14, 2002 (Book 
592, Page 17) . Drainage Easement #1 was dedicated on February 16, 2023 (Recordation 
Number 2023-0078518). The easement was dedicated for the purpose of allowing storm, flood, 
and other waters to pass over, under or through the land set aside for easement.  Drainage 
Easement #2 was dedicated on May 31, 2013 (Recordation Number 2013-0500533). The 
purpose of the easement was to allow storm, flood and other waters to pass over, under, or 
through the land set aside for the easement. Drainage Easement #3 was dedicated on 
December 23, 2014 (Recordation Number 2014-0844380). The purpose of the easement was to 
allow storm, flood and other waters to pass over, under or through the land set aside for the 
easement. Lastly, the temporary drainage easement was dedicated on December 23, 2014 
(Recordation Number 2014-0844379). The temporary drainage easement’s purpose was for the 
benefit of the public as right-of-way for drainage purposes. If abandoned, the 20-feet wide 
sidewalk easement, slope easement, drainage easement #1, drainage easement #2, drainage 
easement #3, and temporary drainage easement would no longer encumber 2600 W Sonoran 
Desert Drive. 
 
City Staff Comments 
This request was routed to various City departments for their recommendations. Listed below

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are the responses from each department.  
 
Street Transportation Department – Josh Rogers 
The Street Transportation Department has reviewed the attached abandonment application and 
has the following: 
 
Comments: 
A minimum of 10-feet of sidewalk easement, adjacent to the North Valley Parkway right-of-way is 
required per the Sonoran Foothills and Canyon Crossroads Master Plans.  Further reduction of 
the sidewalk easement below 10-feet in width would require approved amendments to those 
master plans prior to an abandonment being considered.  Any sidewalk adjacent to the North 
Valley Parkway would need to remain within a sidewalk easement as well.   
 
Slope Easement: Prior to any recommendation of approval for slope easement removal, the 
applicant shall submit a slope analysis and stability report that is approved by the Planning and 
Development Department 
 
Stipulations:  
1. A minimum of a 10-foot-wide sidewalk easement shall be retained adjacent to the North 
Valley Parkway right-of-way line.   
OR 
 
2. No sidewalk easement may be abandoned within 10-feet of the North Valley Parkway 
right-of-way line. 
 
OR 
 
3. No sidewalk easement, adjacent to North Valley Parkway, shall be abandoned below the 
minimum width required by the Sonoran Foothills and Canyon Crossroads approved 
master plans.   
 
Street Transportation Utility Coordination Department– Andrea Diaz 
The Street Transportation Department Utility Coordination section has no comments. 
 
PDD Traffic Department – Derek Fancon 
Recommend approval.   
 
PDD Planning Department – Dru Maynus 
Recommend denial, applicant shall submit and obtain approval of a slope stability and analysis 
report to the Planning & Development Department prior to abandonment approval.  
 
Streetlights – Jason Fernandez 
Recommend approval.  
 
Solid Waste – Megan Sheets 
Approved. 
 
Water Services – Don Reynolds 
WSD has NO stipulations for this Abandonment of Easements. The proposed property has 
existing water and sewer mains that can potentially serve the development.

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PDD Village Planner – Sarah Stockham 
No comment received.  
 
PDD Civil Department – Jonathan Bunch 
Civil Division recommends approval with the following stipulations: 
 
1. Reroute of facilities - New easement dedications are required and partial removal of 
existing drainage facilities in the temporary drainage easement near the SE corner of the 
site is required. An approved grading and drainage plan is required, and bonds posted 
for new drainage facility work. 
 
Public Transit Department – Skitch Kitchen 
The Public Transit Department has no comment on this project.  
 
Utility Comments 
The request was also routed to outside utility companies for their input. Listed below are the 
responses from each utility. 
Cox – Melinda Hileman 
I have reviewed the proposed abandonment request for the parcel located at Sonoran Desert 
Dr. & North Foothills Dr., in Phoenix, AZ.  
 
Cox will agree to abandonment once the COX facilities have been relocated. 
 
Also please note that Cox Communications accepts no liability for costs associated with any 
relocation of existing facilities required as a result of this proposed abandonment. 
 
If I can be of further assistance or a conflict arises, please contact me using the contact 
information below. 
 
Southwest Gas – Susan R. Mulanax 
After reviewing the plans for the above-referenced project, it has been determined that there are 
no apparent conflicts between the Southwest Gas system and your proposed abandonment of 
the Drainage, Temporary Drainage, Slope and Sidewalk Easements presented in the subject 
request. Southwest Gas would like to recommend abandonment of theses easements located at 
the above-referenced location. 
 
Thank you for your cooperation on this project. Please contact me if you have any questions or 
require additional information. 
 
Arizona Public Service – James Generoso 
No comment received.  
 
CenturyLink – Jody K. Butte 
Qwest Corporation. d/b/a CENTURYLINK QC (“CenturyLink”) has reviewed the request for a 
letter of no objection to the abandonment described above and has determined that it has no 
reservations with respect to the areas proposed for abandonment as shown and/or described on 
Exhibit “A”, said Exhibit “A” attached hereto and incorporated by this reference. 
 
Lumen has no active facilities located close to the project limits.

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In the event Lumen facilities need to be removed, all associated costs will be at the expense of 
the sponsoring agency/owner. 
 
This Letter of No Objections response is submitted WITH THE STIPULATION that if 
CenturyLink facilities are found and/or damaged within the vacated area as described, the 
Applicant will bear the cost of relocation and repair of said facilities. 
 
If you have any questions please contact Jody Butte, 814-599-0114 jody.butte@lumen.com. 
 
Salt River Project – Michael Laguna 
Salt River Project has no objection to the abandonment of the three Drainage Easements, a 
Temporary Drainage Easement, a Slope Easement, and a Sidewalk Easement as shown in the 
abandonment package received on January 24, 2025. This is in an Arizona Public Service 
serving area. 
 
Recommended Stipulations of Approval  
The request of abandonment, if approved by the Abandonment Hearing Officer, will be subject 
to the following stipulations:  
 
1. Applicant shall obtain City approval of a legal description of the abandonment area prior 
to City Council approval of ABND 250001. 
 
2. A minimum of a 8-foot-wide sidewalk easement shall be retained adjacent to the North 
Valley Parkway right-of-way line.   
 
3. The applicant shall ensure that new required easement dedications are shown on Plat 
240072 which shall be recorded concurrently with ABND 250001. 
 
4. 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: ___________ 
 
 
REPORT SUBMITTED BY: Dru Maynus, Abandonment Coordinator. 
 
cc: 
K.Hovnanian Phoenix Division, Inc. / Chuck Chisholm, Applicant/Representative 
Craig Messer, Abandonment Hearing Officer 
 
 
 
 
 
March 26, 2025

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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.