Tempe Development Review Commission Meeting - December 14, 2021
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Tempe Development Review Commission Meeting - December 14, 2021
The Development Review Commission held a public meeting on December 14, 2021, beginning at approximately 1:00 PM. The commission considered several land use applications, including consent items and three public hearings. The meeting included approval of minutes from October 26, 2021, and votes on requests for a retail gun shop, a community garden, and a mixed-use workforce housing development.
Consent Calendar
- Approved Minutes of the October 26, 2021 study session and regular meeting (vote 6-0-1, with Chairman Di Domenico abstaining for absence).
- Approved Consent Agenda (items 3, 4, 6, 7, and 9) in a single 7-0 vote. Items included:
- Warner Commerce Center (two new industrial buildings, 197,000 sq ft)
- Electric Bat (amusement/arcade use permit)
- Venture on Broadway (drive-through restaurant)
- Angry Crab Shack (restaurant use permit)
- 4th Street Apartments (zoning amendment and 4-unit multifamily development)
Public Comments & Testimony
- Item 5 (Ironstone Tactical – gun shop): Staff read six supportive emails and three opposing emails into the record. Supporters emphasized legal business, security measures, and Second Amendment rights. Opponents cited crime concerns, high residential proximity, and gun violence tragedies. One caller opposed; one neighbor expressed concern but neither supported nor opposed.
- Item 8 (MAC6 Community Garden): No public comments were received.
- Item 10 (Dwell – mixed-use workforce housing): Philip Yates, a long-time Tempe resident, spoke in opposition. He argued the density and height (up to four stories) were out of character for the neighborhood, that existing affordable apartments (22 units) would be displaced, and urged the commission to deny or remand the project.
Discussion Items
- Item 5 – Ironstone Tactical (Use Permit for retail gun shop): Applicant Robert Parrott described his existing truck upfitting business and proposed a secure gun sales area within his suite at 2167 E. Cedar Street. Features included a separate locking door, steel window bars, a five-camera security system, and alarm. Staff recommended approval, noting police department was satisfied with security. Commissioners asked about experience, security, and crime in the area. Commissioner Schwartz dissented. Motion carried 6-1.
- Item 8 – MAC6 Community Garden (Use Permit for community garden): Applicant Kyle Macintosh explained the garden would be managed by Tiger Mountain Foundation to address transient and drug issues on his commercial property. The garden would be located in parking lot islands and behind a new rammed-earth screen wall. No opposition was received. Commissioners praised the community-oriented approach. Motion to approve carried 7-0.
- Item 10 – Dwell (General Plan Amendment, Zoning Amendment, PAD Amendment, and Development Plan Review): Project team (Darren Sender, Steve Betts, John Kane) presented a 129-unit workforce housing project at 430 S. Farmer Avenue. The development would replace 22 existing one-story apartments (built in the 1950s/60s) and surface parking with three- and four-story buildings atop a podium deck. The project is designed as purpose-built workforce housing targeting 80–120% Area Median Income (AMI) without city subsidies or covenants. Units are studios and one-bedrooms with integrated workspaces; amenities include Zoom rooms, a fitness center, and bike storage—but no pool or party rooms. Rents are projected to be $300–500 less per month than nearby projects. Staff supported the request subject to revised conditions. Commissioner questioning focused on affordability permanence, finishes, and displacement of existing tenants. The applicant stated the design and amenity package make significant rent increases unlikely. Public commenter Philip Yates opposed. Commission expressed strong support, citing innovation and need for workforce housing. Motion to approve carried 7-0.
Key Outcomes
- Item 5 (Ironstone Tactical): Approved 6-1 (Commissioner Schwartz dissenting).
- Item 8 (MAC6 Community Garden): Approved 7-0.
- Item 10 (Dwell): Approved 7-0 for all associated applications (GPA210004, ZON210005, PAD210012, DPR210101) subject to revised stipulations.
- Next regular meeting: January 11, 2022 with a study session beginning at 5:15 PM.
Meeting Transcript
All right, members of the public, we're gonna get started here. The development review commission is created to hold public meetings and hearings to provide analysis and recommendation to the city council regarding general land use policies and applications 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 recommends to the city council, and they're not always final decisions. I do have a roll call. Scott, you uh oh no, you're not vice chair. I'm sorry. I'm Chairman Mike D. Domenico. Steve Bauer, I've been gone for a month or two. So uh Vice Chair Stephen Bauer and uh Don Cassano and Michelle Schwartz. Uh for staff today joining us, Ryan Lebec, Steve Abraham, Separna Deskopta, Diana Kaminsky, Obina Kingsby, Lily Drosos, uh, Joanna Barry, and Jason Wolf uh running the comms today. Uh members of the public, I'm going to try and explain as we go uh the process. Um if you have any questions, get my attention. These meetings where we're partially in person and partially online are a little more challenging for us to keep up with uh the participation, so we're gonna try and keep it slow enough that we don't miss anything important. Um in our study session, uh we discussed uh today's agenda, and uh it is the commission's plan to put several of the items on what we call our consent agenda, and that means that it's our intention to vote in a single vote to approve all the items that are are included in the consent agenda. So I'm gonna read and and when I read these uh item numbers, I am going off of the agenda that was published uh online. Uh the items that we propose for consent today are items number three, four, six, seven, and nine. Uh originally we had also intended to have ten. Uh we have a member of the public who wishes to be heard on that case, and so that one will now be heard. So that means we will be having a hearing for Ironstone Tactical Item uh agenda item number five. Uh we will be hearing item number eight, which is the MAC 6 Community Garden, and item number 10, which is the Dwell project. Uh any members of the public who wish to be heard on any of the consent agenda cases, raise your hand. All right, so the consent consent agenda will remain as read. In addition, during this during our study session, we discussed the meeting minutes for the October 26th study session and regular meeting. Uh, those two sets of uh minutes. Uh we had one minor correction, which uh we had read into the record earlier. Uh so we'll be we will be voting on those as they are amended. Um I will consider a motion for approval of the uh meeting minutes for October 26, 21. Mr. Chairman, Commissioner Casano. I would make a motion for approval of the uh development review commission study session, minutes of 1026, 2021, and the regular meeting of 1026, 2021. Do we have a second second? Commissioner Amarosi. It's been moved and seconded. All those in favor signify by raising your hand. I'm abstaining. I was not present. Uh motion passes 62. All right. I will entertain a motion for approval of the consent agenda. Mr. Chairman, Commissioner Sumner's uh motion to approve the consent agenda as read. Second, Mr. Chairman, Commissioner Cassano. It's been moved and seconded. Uh do we have anyone online who's popped in and wants to pull any of the cases? All right. No. Seeing none, uh, we will vote on the consent agenda. Uh Suparna, do you want me to take a roll call on each individual item or is it show of hands since we're all present?
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