Development Review Commission Regular Meeting – July 25, 2023
STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE
Development Review Commission Regular Meeting – July 25, 2023
The Development Review Commission held a regular meeting on July 25, 2023, at 2:00 PM. The meeting included approval of previous meeting minutes, two consent agenda items, and a second hearing on the Tempe Tomorrow General Plan 2050 update. The commission heard extensive public comments and voted to recommend the General Plan to the City Council.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of Minutes (Item 1): Minutes from the May 23, 2023 study session and regular meeting were approved 6-0. Minutes from June 13, 2023 (study session and regular meeting) were approved 4-0 with Commissioners Schwartz, Corbett, and Cassano abstaining. Minutes from June 27, 2023 were approved 6-0.
- Use Permits (Items 2 and 3): A use permit for front, side, and rear yard setbacks for Valentine-Frances (1309 N. Frances St.) and a use permit for a massage establishment for Radiant Being LLC (9655 S. Priest Dr., Suite 102) were approved unanimously as part of the consent agenda, 7-0. No public speakers requested to be heard on these items.
Public Comments & Testimony
- General Plan 2050 (Item 4): Over 30 speakers attended, with 28 speaking in person and 3 online. Many expressed concerns about high density, loss of neighborhood character, insufficient open space, and strain on infrastructure. Speakers opposed high-density designations in areas such as Danelle Plaza, Southern Avenue, and along transit corridors. Some advocated for preserving historic properties and cultural resource areas. Others supported higher density to address housing affordability and sustainability, citing the need for more units, reduced car dependency, and better transit viability. Notable speakers included:
- David Duarone (65-year resident): Opposed high density, urged preservation of Tempe's character.
- Robert Miller: Concerned about open space per capita and walkability.
- Shireen Lerner (TAG member): Asked for more balance between growth and neighborhood protection.
- Ann Till (2050 working group): Supported lower density at Danelle Plaza, opposed unlimited density downtown.
- Jason Adams: Supported missing middle housing and mixed-use development.
- Darlene Justice: Highlighted North Tempe's diversity, asked for higher density along Hayden Road.
- Lisa Zyrich: Concerned about city services and ignoring character area plans.
- Katie Bolligitz: Supported lower density, referenced Bethesda, MD as a cautionary example.
- Karen Gittless (Tempe Bicycle Action Group): Supported higher density for active transportation and sustainability.
- Robert Moore (read letter from Sean Downey of Yucca Taproom): Supported balanced development at Danelle Plaza, emphasized historic preservation.
- Trevor Mazuski: Supported higher density near light rail and Apache Boulevard.
- Jack Ketchum: Supported the original higher density to address housing crisis.
- Jonan Anderson: Young professional feeling excluded by high housing costs, asked for more affordable options.
- Roberta Neil Miller (Brentwood Cavalier Neighborhood Association): Opposed high density at Danelle Plaza, wanted to preserve local arts.
- Online speakers Katie Jensen Ward, Marlene Bigay, and Elizabeth Stewart (read into record) echoed concerns about density, preservation, and infrastructure.
Discussion Items
- General Plan 2050 Update (Item 4): Staff presented revisions since the June 27 hearing, including a new mixed-use low moderate category (up to 25 dwelling units per acre), added cultural resource areas (e.g., Papago Park View neighborhood), and strengthened sustainability language. The plan also updated population projections based on MAG data. Staff emphasized the plan does not rezone but guides future land use. Water resources and open space were addressed by city staff. Commissioners discussed specific parcels, such as the northwest corner of Baseline and Kyrene, and the 20-minute city concept. The plan includes 26 elements plus a new Climate Change and Extreme Heat element.
Key Outcomes
- Approval of Minutes: All three sets of minutes were approved with varying abstentions.
- Consent Agenda: Approved 7-0.
- General Plan 2050 Recommendation: The commission voted unanimously to recommend the General Plan 2050 update to the City Council. The motion carried with all commissioners in favor. The plan will go to City Council for public hearings on August 10 and August 24, 2023, with a public ratification vote scheduled for March 12, 2024.
- Next Steps: The staff will incorporate additional public comments into the final draft before the City Council hearings.
Meeting Transcript
All right, everyone, if we could have quiet, we're gonna start the meeting. Thank you very much. Welcome to the July 25th, 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 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 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. A recommendation would be what we're doing tonight with item number four. So again, not final. Are they all for case four? Okay. And that's the Valentine Francis or the Radiant Being LLC cases. And so anybody raise your hand if you're here to be heard on any of those two cases. Seeing none, we'll leave those on the consent agenda. Item number one are on our agenda. We have three separate uh sets of meeting minutes. So I would call for a motion uh for approval of the May 23rd study and regular meeting uh minutes. Mr. Chairman. Yes, I would make a motion for approval of the development review study session of uh May 23rd, 2023, and the regular meeting of May 23rd, 2023. Do we have a second? Uh moved and seconded for approval. Uh in this particular uh meeting, uh Commissioner Corbett uh was in attendance, but Commissioner Schwartz was not. So six of us will be voting on that. All in favor, raise your hand. Motion carries six to zero. We now have two sets of minutes for June 13th, 2023. Do we have a motion for approval? Don, you're on a roll. Oh, you weren't at that one. That's okay. Minutes of June 13th. Commissioner Spears. I second. It's been moved and seconded. Commissioner Spears and Vice Chair. Johnson, uh voting on these will be four of us with the exception of Cassano and Schwartz. All those in favor. Those motion, uh those minutes are passed, four to zero, with uh Schwartz, Corbett, and uh Cassano abstaining. That brings us to our final set of minutes, June 27th uh 2023. Mr. Chairman. Yes, Mr. Since I was on a roll and you I got interrupted. I would make a motion for approval of the regular meeting of 627, 2023. Thank you. Do we have a second? Second. Yeah, it's been moved and seconded uh by Cassano and Spears. Um everyone here except for Commissioner Corbett uh will vote on this one.
openpublica.com