Tempe Development Review Commission Regular Meeting – June 8, 2021
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Tempe Development Review Commission Regular Meeting – June 8, 2021
The Tempe Development Review Commission met on June 8, 2021, to consider two major development proposals, a consent agenda, and routine approvals. The meeting included public comments, applicant presentations, staff analysis, and commission deliberation. Both agenda items for public hearing were approved, one with a dissenting vote.
Consent Calendar
- Lumberjaxes Axe Throwing (PL210141): Request for a Use Permit to allow beer and wine bar services at 3109 South Fair Lane. Approved 7-0 without discussion.
- Smith Residence (PL210147): Request for a Use Permit Standard to reduce the required street side setback from 20 feet to 16 feet at 1436 East Dava Drive. Approved 7-0 without discussion.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Price and Baseline Roads (PL200239): Four speakers and several written comments were received. Public comments were generally opposed, citing concerns about increased traffic, dangerous turning movements, insufficient parking, density, and potential negative impacts on neighborhood character. Specific speakers included Elizabeth Gross (Coal Park Neighborhood), Tom Hoover (Continental Villas), and others who submitted letters. Written comments from Mary Lou Paul, Chris Higgins, K. Lipid, Shelly Tunis, and Candace Toller also expressed opposition, with some noting the lack of affordable housing options.
- Millhouse on Apache (PL210034): No public comments were received.
Discussion Items
- Price and Baseline Roads (PL200239): The applicant (Manjula Voz, Trammel Crow Residential) proposed a redevelopment of an 8-acre site at the northwest corner of Baseline Road and Price Freeway. The project includes a General Plan amendment from Commercial to Residential, density increase from up to 15 du/ac to up to 25 du/ac, rezoning from PCC-1 to R-4, a PAD overlay, and a Development Plan Review for a 200-unit apartment complex with 355 parking spaces (initially 332, later increased). The design features building heights ranging from 1 to 4 stories, with taller buildings along the freeway and lower heights adjacent to existing single-family homes. Traffic access alternatives were discussed, including a median extension on Baseline Road to prevent left turns onto Bala Drive from the project. Staff recommended approval with conditions, including a maximum 30-space parking deficit (362 spaces required) versus the applicant's proposed 355. The applicant agreed to work with staff to meet the 362-space requirement. Commissioner Sumners expressed concerns about unresolved traffic access issues and density, voting against the motion.
- Millhouse on Apache (PL210034): The applicant (Rob Lane, Millhouse) proposed a rezoning from CSS and R-4 to MU-4 in the Transportation Overlay District, a PAD overlay, a Use Permit for seven tandem parking spaces, and a Development Plan Review for a 219-unit apartment community with five live-work units and a 590 s.f. restaurant at 2125 East Apache Boulevard. The project includes two four-story buildings, 212 bicycle parking spaces, and a coffee shop fronting Apache Boulevard. Staff recommended approval with conditions, including a unique condition clarifying garage dimensions for tandem parking spaces. The applicant accepted all conditions. Commissioners praised the project for its design, location, and contribution to the area's redevelopment. No public comments were made. The motion passed unanimously.
Key Outcomes
- Price and Baseline Roads (PL200239): Approved 6-1 (Commissioner Sumners dissented). The approval is subject to the applicant working with staff to achieve at least 362 parking spaces (reducing the deficit from 37 to 30 spaces) and finalizing the Baseline Road median configuration with ADOT and the city.
- Millhouse on Apache (PL210034): Approved 7-0, subject to staff conditions including the clarified garage dimension requirement.
- Meeting Minutes: Minutes from the April 27, 2021 study session and regular meeting were approved 7-0 with one correction to a case number.
- Next Meeting: Scheduled for June 22, 2021, at 5:15 PM with a study session on the Papago North Tempe character area plan and a zoning code text amendment, followed by a regular meeting with items for Car Grafting (height increase) and Carvana (office buildings and parking structures).
Meeting Transcript
Let's go ahead and call our meeting to order. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Development Review Commission for the City of Tempe for June 8th, 2021. 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 with Commission as recommendatory power and to render final decisions on specified applications with 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. Now 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. Having said that, let me introduce who we have with us tonight, ladies and gentlemen. By way of city staff, we have Miss Supana Deskupta, Mr. Steve Abramson, Miss Diana Kaminsky, we have Lee Jimenez, Karen Stovall, Dalton Gera, Joanna Barry, and Mr. Jason Wolf joining us. And our commission tonight, we have with us Commissioner Andrew Johnson, Commissioner Don Cassano, we have Commissioner Michelle Schwartz joining us, Commissioner Philip Amorosi, Commissioner Scott Sumners, Commissioner Stephen Bauer, and I am Chairman David Lyon. The first item of business for consideration, we have reviewed meeting minutes from the April 27th meeting, April 27th, 2021. Commissioner Sumner's pointed out one revision to be made to a case number. Other than that, we have found no revisions to be made. Commission, can we hear a motion regarding the approval of those meeting minutes? Mr. Chairman, this is Commissioner Cassano. I would make a motion for approval of development review commission study session 427 2021 and the development review commission regular meeting of 427 2021 with the uh correction. Fair enough. Do I hear a second? Second, Phil Amarosi. Okay. Motion to approve from Commissioner Cassano with the revision noted and seconded by Commissioner Amarosi. Commissioner Bauer, how do you vote? Aye. Commissioner Cassano. Aye. Commissioner Schwartz. Aye. I vote aye as well. Commissioner Sumners. Aye. Commissioner Amarosi. Aye. And Commissioner Johnson. Aye. Okay. Motion passes 7-0. Thank you, Commission. And for what it's worth, I appreciate now that the order in which I call on you to vote is not alphabetical or I'm not sure what the order is based on, other than the word document I have. That's the order in which we're listed. So if that's confusing to you, don't worry about it. That's just my little thing that I'm doing here. All right, so let's move on. Our consent agenda for tonight, folks. We've elected to place two of our cases on this consent agenda. These are items that we intend to approve without further discussion because we believe that they meet the satisfactory criteria that meet the criteria satisfactorily, let's say it that way. Those two items on our consent agenda tonight are lumberjacks axe throwing and the Smith residents. And we did not receive any comment from public wishing to discuss the cases, so we're going to go ahead and move on with our consent agenda as written. Can I hear a motion regarding the approval of that consent agenda, please? Mr.
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