Tempe Development Review Commission Meeting – January 10, 2023
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Tempe Development Review Commission Meeting – January 10, 2023
The Development Review Commission (DRC) held a public hearing on January 10, 2023, at 1:15 PM (MST) to consider several development applications. The meeting began with approval of minutes from November 15, 2022, followed by a consent agenda covering four items. Three items received individual hearings: Roosevelt 11 Homes (item 3), The Chill Room (item 6), and Curry Road Apartments (item 9). All applications were approved with varying vote tallies.
Consent Calendar
- Apache River Apartments (Item 4): Use permit for residential in CSS zone and development plan review for a three-story, 15-unit multi-family development at 1292 South River Drive. Approved unanimously as part of the consent agenda.
- El Dorado 4 (Item 5): Use permit to reduce front yard setback from 20’ to 16’ in R-4 district for a three-story, four-unit single-family development at 1964 East Don Carlos Avenue. Approved unanimously.
- Sheppard Residence (Item 7): Use permit to reduce side yard setback from 10’ to 8’ and allow parking in front yard setback at 936 East Weber Drive. Approved unanimously.
- Goldwater Tap House (Item 8): Use permit to allow a bar at 9895 South Priest Drive, Suite 102. Approved unanimously.
Public Comments & Testimony
No members of the public spoke on any agenda item. Only applicant teams and staff presented.
Discussion Items
- Roosevelt 11 Homes (Item 3): Request for Development Plan Review for a two-story single-family development of 11 dwelling units on 0.56 acres at 606 South Roosevelt Street. The applicant, Palmer Architects Ltd., presented 11 three-bedroom, 2.5-bath units with two-car garages, 25 parking spaces (22 required), and roof decks. Commissioner Spears expressed concerns about parking adequacy (three guest spaces for 11 units) and the monolithic design along 7th Street. Staff recommended approval subject to conditions. Vote: 6-1 (Commissioner Spears dissenting).
- The Chill Room (Item 6): Two separate use permits: (a) Tobacco Retail Use and (b) Live Entertainment for a Kava lounge at 1320 East Broadway Road, Suite 108. The applicant, Sal Cartagine, described the lounge as a non-alcoholic social venue with a separate 300 sq. ft. vape shop for patrons 21+. Commissioners questioned the tobacco retail component, especially potential vape bans and youth access. The applicant noted vape sales are a small revenue portion and that ventilation would be addressed. Hours proposed: weekdays 10 AM–midnight, weekends until 2 AM with music ending by midnight. Vote: Live entertainment permit approved 7-0; tobacco retail use permit approved 5-2 (Commissioners Schwartz and Spears dissenting).
- Curry Road Apartments (Item 9): Multiple requests for a 6-story mixed-use development at 1043 East Curry Road: General Plan Density Map Amendment (from medium-high to high density, up to 65 du/ac), Zoning Map Amendment (GID to MU-4), Planned Area Development Overlay, Use Permit for tandem parking, and Development Plan Review. The project proposes 343 dwelling units, 5,900 sq. ft. of commercial (9 live-work units), five- and six-story buildings along Curry, and a four-story building on Gilbert Drive. Design improvements from a prior study session included additional awnings, masonry, vertical elements, and a pedestrian paseo through the county island. Staff supported the changes. Vote: 7-0.
Key Outcomes
- Minutes Approved: Study session and regular meeting minutes of November 15, 2022, approved 5-0 (Chairman Domenico and Vice Chair Johnson abstained due to non-attendance).
- Consent Agenda Approved: Items 4, 5, 7, 8 approved 7-0.
- Roosevelt 11 Homes (PL220141): Approved 6-1, with Commissioner Spears in dissent.
- The Chill Room (PL220313): Live entertainment permit approved 7-0; tobacco retail use permit approved 5-2 (Schwartz and Spears dissenting).
- Curry Road Apartments (PL220211): All associated requests (general plan amendment, zoning amendment, PAD, use permit for tandem parking, development plan review) approved 7-0.
- Next Meeting: Scheduled for January 24, 2023, at 1:15 PM.
Meeting Transcript
To the January 10th, 2023 Development Review Commission hearing. The Development Review Commission is created to hold public meetings and hearings to provide analysis and recommendations to the City Council regard regarding general land use policies and applications where 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 interests 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. Development review commission recommendations to the city council are not final decisions. Here with us today on the commission, we have Commissioners Michelle Schwartz, Don Cassano, Vice Chair Andrew Johnson. I'm Chairman Mike D. Domenico. To my left, we have Commissioners Barbara Lloyd, Linda Spears, and Joe Forte. With us from staff, today we have Jeff Tamilevich, Ryan Lebec, Steve Abraham, Separna Diskupta, Diana Kaminsky, Lee Jimenez, Karen Stovall, Obenia, King Speed II, Joanna Berry, and Jason Wolfe. Member of the public, if you are here to speak on a particular case, we're going to take them in order that they're on the uh tonight's agenda. If you're interested in being heard on a specific case, make sure to fill out a white card, either get them in the back of the room or up here at front and give them to staff before we call the case up. Otherwise, we're gonna pass you by and we're gonna miss you. If it looks like that's about to happen, jump up and down, wave your arms, catch my attention, and we'll make sure to give you a chance to be heard. Uh it is our intention tonight uh to deal with several of the items that are on our agenda as a part of our consent agenda. And what a consent agenda means is we're going to take several of the cases that we do not need to hear. We discussed them in study session and identified several cases uh that I'm gonna read off now. And those are going to be voted in one single vote. Uh, and the intention is to pass them all with that one single vote. So if you are here to speak against or want to be heard specifically on one of those cases on the consent agenda, again get my attention and stop us from doing so, and we'll remove it from the consent agenda. Tonight, our consent agenda will be items four, uh, Apache River Apartments, item five, El Dorado Four, item seven, the Shepherd residence, and item eight, Goldwater Tap House. Anyone here to be heard on any of those four items. Yes. Which item? Okay. Yeah, you're part of the applicant team, right? Okay. So, yeah, you wouldn't want to speak if if you're okay with us just approving it as a part of the consent agenda. Um, not that we wouldn't want to hear from you, but uh but I think that's the way to go here. Um, all right. So that leaves us with items three, Roosevelt 11, six, uh, the chill room, and nine, uh, Curry Road apartments that we're going to have individual hearings for. Uh so that's how we're going to handle tonight's agenda. Uh that brings us to items one and two, and those are our minutes uh for the study session and regular meeting of November 15th, 2022. Uh, we discussed those in study session. We have no amendments or changes to those. I entertain a motion for approval. Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, Commissioner Casano, I would make a motion for approval of the study session minutes for the 1115 2022 development review commission and the uh regular meeting of 1115 2022 for approval. Do we have a second? Second. Commissioner Spears. It's been moved and seconded. All those in favor signify by raising your hand. And those opposed, none, and let the record show that myself and Vice Chair Jason Hay are abstaining because we were not in attendance at that meeting. Those meetings are minutes are approved, five to zero. All right, I will now entertain a motion for approval of the consent agenda. Commissioner Lloyd. Oh Johnson got that.
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