Tempe Development Review Commission Regular Meeting – September 22, 2020
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Tempe Development Review Commission Meeting Summary – September 22, 2020
The Tempe Development Review Commission held a virtual regular meeting on September 22, 2020, chaired by David Lyon. The commission approved prior meeting minutes, approved a consent agenda, continued one case, approved a tobacco retailer use permit, and approved a large mixed-use multifamily project with a modified condition.
Consent Calendar
- Approved minutes of the August 25, 2020 study session and regular meeting on a 6-0 vote, with Commissioner Amarosi abstaining.
- Approved the consent agenda for the Lim Residence (520 East Pecan Place), Trusted Auto Sales (410 South Perry Lane, Suite 4), and Residence Inn Tempe (8946 South Harl Avenue) unanimously 7-0. No public comment cards were submitted for these items.
Public Comments & Testimony
- For Wild Side Smoke Shop, staff received one written comment in opposition, citing the health effects of tobacco products. No oral public comments were made.
- For Tempe Market Station, no public comment cards were submitted. Staff reported that a virtual neighborhood meeting was held, where a representative from the property to the south raised concerns about adding residences to an industrial area and potential noise complaints. The representative complimented the architecture and overall design, but may have misunderstood that the parking garage is exposed on the south side.
Discussion Items
- U-Haul of Tempe Town Lake (PL200114): Applicant representative Abigail Ayala requested a continuance to November 10, 2020, stating the owner wanted to propose site plan changes and discuss stipulations with staff. The commission granted the continuance unanimously 7-0. The underlying request included two use permits, a height increase from 35 to 38 feet 6 inches, and a Development Plan Review for a 97,089 square-foot three-story climate-controlled self-storage building.
- Wild Side Smoke Shop (PL200166): Applicant Teresa Oseguerra requested a use permit for a tobacco retailer at 405 West University Drive. She described a professional retail shop open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, employing 4-6 clerks. Commissioner Amarosi asked about vaping products; the applicant was open to a restriction, but staff said the city does not regulate day-to-day operations, state law prohibits sales to minors, and vaping products are legal. The commission approved the use permit 7-0 with Commissioner Amarosi giving a reluctant aye, without additional product restrictions. Staff noted the required 1,320-foot school separation was met: the nearest school, Scales Technology Academy, was approximately 2,787 feet away, and Tempe High School was about 3,000 feet away.
- Tempe Market Station (PL200129): Applicant Wendy Riddell presented requests for a General Plan amendment from Commercial to Mixed-Use, a residential density amendment to up to 65 dwelling units per acre, a zoning amendment from PCC-2 to MU-4, an amended Planned Area Development Overlay, and a Development Plan Review for a 5-story, 310-unit multifamily development at 1953 East Rio Salado Parkway. The project is considered the first residential project in the Smith Innovation Hub. The applicant cited a density of 58 dwelling units per acre across the PAD, below the 65 du/ac cap. Building height was initially described as 70 feet, then clarified to allow up to 75 feet. Staff planner Diana Kaminsky outlined a shared parking plan: 153 spaces for the hotel, 54 and 50 spaces for two drive-thru restaurants, and 406 spaces for the 310 multifamily units including guest parking. A 14-foot transit easement is dedicated along Rio Salado Parkway, with landscaping that may shift when streetcar improvements occur. The only disputed condition was Stipulation 11, which staff had proposed requiring masonry up the full height of the Smith Road and Rio Salado Parkway corner. The applicant preferred its original design or a blonde brick alternative. After discussion, Chair Lyon proposed modifying condition 11 to require the applicant to work with staff on material and building articulation at the corner. The applicant and staff agreed.
Key Outcomes
- Approved the Wild Side Smoke Shop use permit (PL200166) 7-0.
- Continued U-Haul of Tempe Town Lake (PL200114) to November 10, 2020, 7-0.
- Approved Tempe Market Station (PL200129) 6-1, with Commissioner Amarosi dissenting, subject to a modified Stipulation 11 requiring the applicant to work with staff on material and building articulation at the corner of Smith Road and Rio Salado Parkway.
- Staff announced the next DRC meeting is scheduled for October 27, 2020, with the agenda to be determined by early October.
Meeting Transcript
So I will assume then that we're live and I can just get rolling into it. Um those of you who have joined us, thank you for bearing with us. Um nothing has gone wrong at all in the year 2020. So uh why should this meeting be any different? We uh we all have all those wonderful speed bumps we're working with this year. So having said that, thank you for joining us and bearing with us. So welcome to Development Review Commission for September 22nd, 2020. The development review commission is created to hold public meetings and hearings to provide analysis and recommendations to the city council regarding general land use policies and applications where the where the commission has recommendatory power and to render final decisions on specified applications where the commission has final decision making power, including but not limited to all aspects of a proposed and future development. The development review commission recognizes that the creation of a desirable environment throughout the city for residents, business, and industry is a prime requisite for the interdependence of land values, aesthetics, and good site planning by promoting harmonious, safe, attractive, and compatible development that is therefore considered to be in the best interest of public health, safety, and general welfare. Any person aggrieved by a final decision of the development review commission may file an appeal to the city council within 14 calendar days after the development review commission has rendered its decision. Ah, it's mouthful. So, ladies and gentlemen, we have with us a full commission tonight. I'm gonna scroll through my digital list here and try to make sure I don't miss anyone. Uh we have with us tonight Commissioner Don Cassano. President Vice Chair Mike Dominico. Um I guess I'm not sure if we're doing a roll call or not. I'm just gonna read people's names out and we'll announce who's there. Um we have with us Commissioner Michelle Schwartz as well, Commissioner Philip Amarosi. Welcome back. Thank you. We have Commissioner Scott Sumner's, Commissioner Steven Bauer, and I am Chairman David Lyon. If I accidentally missed anyone in my scrolling, please let me know. We also also have with us digitally, Miss Suparna Daskupta, Mr. Steve Abramson, and Miss Joanna Berry for our Tempe City staff. And we also have um Ryan Levake and Lee Jimenez, Miss Diana Kaminsky, and I think we have yep, we have Dalton Guerra and I think we have Robbie Aaron with us as well. Welcome everyone. Glad you could make it. All right. So folks, on our agenda tonight, um got a couple of things going on here. Um first thing is our consent agenda. There are three items which we have elected to approve without hearing them any further. We we deem them to be sufficiently worthy to approve as based just strictly on what we've read. Uh, however, if anyone who is in attendance in the meeting would like to have these cases heard and wishes the opportunity to make comment on them, we can certainly accommodate you. The three items on that consent agenda are the Limb residents, trusted auto sales, and residents residents in Tempe. Yeah, thank you. I've been high handed a reminder note. Thank you, Miss Ms. Barry. Um so if there's anyone who wishes to um have any of those cases heard, um, please make it known by way of the uh let's see, on the if you're in the meeting, uh I believe you should be able to send a chat to uh member of staff and let them know that you wish to hear on those cases. Okay, so that's gonna be our consent agenda unless we hear differently again. That's Limb residents, trusted auto sales, and a residence in, which leaves us wild side smoke shop, Tempe Market Station, and U-Hall of Tempe Town Lake. Um, barring any objection, I've been asked to consider uh moving U-Hall of Tempe Town Lake to the beginning of the meeting since they are presumably going to be rather quick, and I'd like to go ahead and do that. We can take care of them relatively expeditiously. Uh, but before we do that, we do have the consideration of meeting minutes. Um we are to consider um the study session and regular session meeting minutes from August 25th of this year. We have reviewed those and found no edits to be made. So therefore, can I hear a motion regarding the approval of those? Um I see Commissioner Cassano's hand. Yes, Mr. Chairman, this is Don Cassano.
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