One, two, three, four.

We can get everybody to uh be seated.

We'll get started in the study session.

Okay, I'll call to order the study session for November eighteenth, twenty twenty-five.

We'll start with a roll call.

Mayor Scott Anderson.

Vice Mayor Bobby Buckley.

Here, Councilmember Chuck von Giovanni.

I am here.

Councilmember Kenny Bucklin.

Here.

Councilmember Young Kaprowski.

Here.

Councilmember Monty Lyons.

I am here.

And Councilmember Jim Torgeson.

Thank you.

We have one item of presentation on the land development code text amendment related to Z twenty five ten to modify existing development standards within the Heritage Village Center zoning district.

Who's going to be doing this one?

Kristen?

You're going to do this one.

All right.

Good evening, Council.

Kristen Devine.

Thank you for having me this evening.

The project that I'd like to discuss with you tonight for a study session is for a possible text amendment to the LDC for the Heritage Village Center for some development standards within that zoning district.

The general request is to allow an increased height within the district.

A little bit of background as to why we're bringing this forward to you.

The concept of increased height within the district has gone to a handful of council retreats for the heritage district.

The first of which was in August of 2023.

At that time, an Urban 3 presentation was provided, and that highlighted the economic impacts of varying types of development.

So staff at that time was asked to kind of look into this, how that might impact the heritage district.

So in April of 2025, we we brought some follow-up information to the council at that retreat, where we provided a presentation that showed vis uh visual representation of what increased height could actually look like within the district.

Um at that time we were asked to keep moving forward, reach out to additional stakeholders and get some some further information.

So that's where we're at today is providing you some additional information.

And with that, I will hand um off the next two slides to Mike with our economic development team.

Thank you, Kristen.

Good evening, Mayor Anderson, Vice Mayor Buckley, and fellow council members.

So in 2023, Urban 3 completed a comprehensive economic analysis of Gilbert with emphasis on employment corridors, including the Heritage District.

Their findings underscore a critical point.

As Gilbert approaches build-out, Gilbert must be strategic with its remaining land.

That means encouraging gentle density and a mix of uses, especially in areas like the Heritage District to ensure the tax base can support both current services and future growth.

This slide highlights Urban 3's findings regarding taxable value by acre in Gilbert in the graphic on the upper right and sales privilege revenue by acre and value per acre by building type in the lower left image.

The brown bar represents value per acre by building type, and that blue bar represents the sales privilege by acre.

When considering current conditions in the heritage district, Gilbert falls mostly within the low and medium density commercial and mixed use categories.

This 2025 text amendment modifies the 2005 policy from 55 feet to 75 feet, which is an increase by 25% in 20 years.

This increase in height creates opportunities for more medium and high density mixed use developments illustrated in the lower middle and right boxes to maximize both sales privilege revenue by acre and value per acre by building type.

The analysis showed that mixed use developments such as the Collab and Building 313 in the Heritage District are among the most fiscally productive in Gilbert.

These buildings maximize value per acre by stacking stories and integrating residential, commercial, and office uses.

So this slide, uh it's important to note that while Gilbert is primarily a residential community, its operations are largely funded through sales privilege taxes, in part because the town does not have a primary property tax in place.

That makes it essential to increase the productivity of its commercial and industrial focused areas, especially as the town reaches full build-out.

So this 25% increase in height in 20 years, like those proposed in this text amendment can have a meaningful impact on long-term financial fiscal sustainability, allowing Gilbert to maintain the high quality of life for residents and businesses alike.

And I will hand it back to Kristen.

Thank you.

So in addition to all of the economic impacts, um, another driving factor for why we are requesting this is from our redevelopment plan, where in it we call out the desire for an 18-hour downtown, somewhere where our residents within the downtown can live, work, and play all within a general area uh the same general area.

Um, in an area like the Heritage District, the parcels are much they're they're very small, they're narrow.

Um, it makes sense to have a mixed use development as vertical as opposed to somewhere like Cooley Station, where you would have a horizontal style mixed use where you have the space to build outwards instead of upwards.

So to summarize what it is that we're requesting.

On the left are our current standards on the right is what we're proposing.

Currently, we have a maximum height requirement in the HBC district of 55 feet and four stories, the lesser of the two.