Development Review Commission Meeting – February 13, 2024

The Development Review Commission (DRC) held a public hearing on February 13, 2024, to review a consent agenda and a major mixed-use development proposal at College Avenue and 7th Street. The commission unanimously approved the consent items and, after discussion, voted to recommend approval of the College and 7th Mixed-Use project while removing a staff condition requiring additional on-site parking.

Consent Calendar

• Minutes Approval: The commission approved the study session and regular meeting minutes from January 23, 2024. Commissioners Redman and Miller abstained as they were not present at those meetings.
• Svoboda Residence (Item 3): A request for a use permit to allow a second-story addition to a single-family home at 2906 South Juniper Street was placed on the consent calendar and approved unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No public speakers: The chair opened the public hearing for Item 4, and no members of the public offered testimony.

Discussion Items

• College and 7th Mixed-Use (PL230076): The applicant, represented by Mondjula Bozo (Gammage & Burnham), presented a request for a Planned Area Development (PAD) overlay and Development Plan Review for a 13-story, 208-unit mixed-use building at the southwest corner of College Avenue and 7th Street. The project includes 8,381 square feet of ground-floor retail, resident amenities, and 42 on-site parking spaces (0.094 spaces per bedroom). Key aspects:
  • Parking strategy: Applicant argued that the location—near light rail, streetcar, and Orbit bus service—supports a low parking ratio, citing trends in car-sharing and reduced car ownership. They proposed two car-share spaces and on-street parking for retail. The building’s parking is entirely below grade to enhance street-level activation.
  • Architecture: Robert Thompson (TVA Architects) described the design as a simple, elegant building with brick cladding and extruded window frames, intended to blend with the university context and provide a human-scale pedestrian experience.
  • Staff recommendation: Planner Jacob Payne presented staff analysis, noting that the proposed 42 spaces is far below the city center zoning code requirement of 172 spaces and well below any previously approved downtown project (lowest prior was 0.54 spaces per unit; this project is 0.2 spaces per unit). Staff recommended approval with conditions, including Condition #4: requiring a second below-grade parking level to provide at least 80 on-site spaces, as a middle ground. The applicant objected to Condition #4, preferring to maintain the lower parking ratio.
  • Commission discussion: Commissioners praised the project’s design and its underground parking. Commissioner Redman suggested exploring shared-parking agreements with neighboring buildings. Commissioner Lloyd expressed concern about setting a precedent for nearby neighborhoods but was swayed by the project’s transit proximity. Commissioner Miller commended the applicant for forward thinking. The commission discussed the need for data collection on parking usage (Condition #5) and acknowledged existing downtown parking underutilization.

Key Outcomes

• Motion to approve: Commissioner Miller moved to approve the PAD overlay and DPR for College and 7th Mixed-Use with the removal of Condition #4 (the additional parking requirement). Commissioner Redman seconded. The motion passed unanimously (7-0). All other staff conditions (including data sharing, archaeological monitoring, noise disclosure, and streetscape details) remained.
• Next steps: The recommendation will be forwarded to the Tempe City Council for final action.

Commission and Staff Announcements

• No commission member announcements were made. Staff had no announcements.