Lake Havasu City Planning & Zoning Commission Recommends Approval of Maricopa Avenue Mini-Golf/Climbing Wall PD Rezone (February 19, 2025)

The Lake Havasu City Planning and Zoning Commission met on Wednesday, February 19, 2025, in Council Chambers at 92 Acoma Boulevard South. Chair Jim Harris called the meeting to order at 9:03 a.m. and adjourned at 9:20 a.m. The Commission voted 7-0 to recommend that City Council approve Land Use Action No. 25-4668, a planned development rezone for 3485, 3489, and 3493 Maricopa Avenue to allow an outdoor mini-golf course and a 50-foot outdoor rock-climbing wall. No members of the public commented during the hearing.

Consent Calendar

• Minutes of February 5, 2025 (ID 25-4685): Approved 7-0 on a motion by Vice Chair Tiffany Wilson, seconded by Commissioner Gabriele Medley.

Correspondence and Announcements

• Planning Division Manager Chris Gilbert reported that City Council approved the Minor General Plan Amendment and PD/Rezone for 1719 Magnolia Drive on February 11, 2025.
• Staff held the first meeting with Logan Simpson, the consultant for the General Plan update, and gave the consultant team a city tour.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Chair Harris opened the public hearing for the Maricopa Avenue item and the subsequent Call to Public; no audience members requested to speak on either item.

Discussion Item: PD Rezone and General Development Plan for 3485, 3489 & 3493 Maricopa Avenue (ID 25-4668)

• City Planner Trevor Kearns presented the staff report. The three vacant lots total approximately 0.92 acres and are zoned Commercial - Southgate (C-SGD), which permits a maximum building height of 36 feet and restaurant use but prohibits outdoor entertainment. The property is surrounded by undeveloped C-SGD land to the east and west, Residential - Southgate (R-SGD) uses to the north, and Maricopa Avenue and Highway 95 to the south. The General Plan land-use designation is Commercial Mixed-Use, and the proposal conforms to the adopted Parking-in-Common Masterplan.
• The applicant requested two exceptions: (1) to allow outdoor entertainment uses for the mini-golf course and rock-climbing wall, and (2) to allow the outdoor rock-climbing wall to reach 50 feet above the approved maximum grade.
• Rob Sampson of Selberg Associates, on behalf of owner Joe Costello, presented the proposal. He stated the owner is working with Harris Miniature Golf (identified in the transcript as Harris Designs) to create a family-friendly entertainment venue with a world-class mini-golf course, an outdoor rock-climbing wall, a small outdoor tiki bar, an indoor bar/restaurant, indoor batting cages, and possibly an indoor soccer training component. He said the rock-climbing wall is intended as a beginner-to-intermediate attraction rather than a professional climbing wall, and that the venue would offer fundraising opportunities for local organizations.
• Mr. Sampson said the building will likely be about 25 feet tall, below the 36-foot zoning maximum, and that the only structure exceeding the height limit would be the rock wall. The buildable area is approximately 5,000 square feet, and the indoor building space would be approximately 2,500 to 3,500 square feet.
• Commissioner Joan Dzuro asked whether the narrow side of the rock wall would face the residential neighborhood; Mr. Sampson confirmed it would and said the wall's width may be 10 to 15 feet depending on the prefabricated design chosen.
• Commissioner Paul Lehr expressed concern about outdoor lighting and music affecting future multifamily residential buildings across the alley, especially bedrooms. Mr. Sampson said outdoor operations would end by 10:00 p.m. at the latest, outdoor sound would be limited to business hours, indoor activities could continue but would be contained in the building, lighting would be shielded down toward the golf course, and no stadium-type lighting was planned.
• Commissioner Suzannah Ballard asked about the indoor square footage, and Mr. Sampson stated it would be about 2,500 to 3,500 square feet, with a full-service restaurant designed to work with an established operator in a smaller kitchen.
• Vice Chair Tiffany Wilson said the project would bring positive family and youth recreation to the community, but she identified the 50-foot rock-wall height as her only major concern, while acknowledging that such walls are popular at similar venues in Phoenix and Las Vegas.
• Mr. Kearns stated that, if the exceptions are approved, the rezone request complies with the required findings of the Development Code and is compatible with the surrounding neighborhood.

Key Outcomes

• Commissioner Dzuro moved to recommend approval to City Council of Land Use Action No. 25-4668, including approval of the planned development rezone and general development plan with the requested outdoor-entertainment and 50-foot rock-wall height exceptions. Commissioner Ballard seconded the motion.
• The motion passed 7-0, with Ayes from Commissioners Ballard, Dzuro, Lehr, Wilson, Harris, Medley, and Thornton. (The oral motion recited "1.92 acres," but the staff report, written minutes, and agenda materials consistently identify the site as approximately 0.92 acres.)
• The next regular Planning and Zoning Commission meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, March 5, 2025; staff reported one item is currently scheduled for that agenda.