OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Tempe Development Review Commission Meeting: April 22, 2025

Development Review Commission — Tuesday, April 22, 2025
BodyTempe, Arizona
SessionDevelopment Review Commission
DateTuesday, April 22, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:25:48

Transcript — Verbatim
0:05

April twenty second twenty-four.

0:10

The purpose of the development review commission is created to hold me and hearings provide analysis and recommendations to the city council land use policy where the commission has recommended power and rendered on specified final decision making power limited to all aspects of the proposed development.

0:41

Development review recognize the creation of a desirable environment city for business is a prime requisite for the pendence of land values, aesthetics, and goods by harmonious and compatible development that is therefore considered in the best interest of the public.

1:09

Any person approved by a final decision council within council after review standard its decision recommendations to the city council not final decisions.

1:30

All right.

1:47

Linda Smith, Commissioner Barbara Lloyd.

1:53

We have Brian Levesque, Karen Stoll, Lucas, and Jason Wolf.

2:08

Members of the public this evening, you'll be given up to three minutes to speak.

2:14

Uh will assist in monitoring that time for us.

2:17

Also, please are online.

2:19

The chat box is not moderated.

2:23

So if you are here to speak tonight, we do have these comment cards.

2:27

Fill them up to um Miss B.

2:38

So during the session, we reviewed the identified a number of items that we are planning to present.

2:49

Our intended vote.

3:20

All right.

3:25

Our next agenda is consideration of meeting minutes and the meeting.

3:34

Looking for a motion for approval.

3:41

Review commission session minutes and from five.

3:50

Second.

3:54

All those by second by commissioner and all in approval.

4:10

Agenda is a motion for approval of our consent agenda.

4:20

Which is three A and a second.

4:27

Second.

4:28

All right.

4:40

Commissioner Tom, second by Commissioner Richter, and that was all right.

5:00

The next is we are going to hear 5A is the residential.

5:08

We'll just ask you to come up and present after that with a presentation from John.

5:34

Okay, thanks.

5:47

There's a lot of stuff.

5:55

All right.

5:59

Commissioner members of the I'm Darren Sender, senders here development spaces.

6:08

I have uh also here tonight.

6:11

Uh name Doug Tickner.

6:15

Did I say that?

6:15

I always say it wrong.

6:17

Okay.

6:17

I'm sorry.

6:19

I always say it wrong.

6:20

And uh architect.

6:25

So obviously someone that's gonna talk more about the building.

6:29

I would like to tonight uh the kind of the history and the process that we went through.

6:35

I'd like to have Doug's a big project we're working on years investments.

6:43

And uh his perspective on the process.

6:50

Thank you.

6:50

Dougner uh senior girl of course.

7:02

And to a core has come out in very positive and productive conversations with staff to kind of get to the output today, which is quite in alignment with so thank you for your time.

7:31

Thank you.

7:32

All right, I'd like to start.

7:37

Um we've been working on this about seven years.

7:41

Property was purchased.

7:42

I'll go over the history a little bit, but the project just around 20 development um process started, and we've been working with you know Jeff and Ryan and Karen and Michelle as they came on board and Josh and Zach and Mike and John.

7:57

I mean that the city has been involved in this and so and the location is just southeast of where we're at.

8:17

That's the official full development site.

8:20

It encompasses a little over three quarters of the block or so the property property, the office building, and then the house of tricks property.

8:35

So the red call the development site, and that's the portion of it that was developed.

8:42

The transfer to the they're up in uh in white demolished, there's an alley in all of that that's going to be um abandoned retain easements, and it will be devised.

9:01

Um the office building you can see in the fish building prior house of um Walker House, which we'll talk about a little bit, is on the side and that was sort of catering and overflow tricks.

9:19

So uh of it.

9:22

This is a site that that requires what we're calling the sanctuary.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Zoning and Land Use███████████████████████████████████35%
Miscellaneous████████████████████████████████32%
Mixed Use Development█████████████13%
Procedural██████6%
Historic Preservation█████5%
Parking███3%
Public Transportation██2%
Community Engagement██2%
Transportation█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Tempe Development Review Commission Meeting: April 22, 2025

The Development Review Commission (DRC) met on April 22, 2025, at 2:00 PM (local time) to consider several development items. The primary focus was Item 5A, a request for a Zoning Map Amendment, Planned Area Development (PAD) Overlay, and Development Plan Review for a proposed 29-story, 818-unit mixed-use residential project at 108 East 7th Street (7th Street Residential). The meeting included approval of minutes, a consent calendar item, public comments, and a vote on the major project.

Consent Calendar

  • Item 3A: A Development Plan Review for a new three-story attached single-family residential development (Tempe Townhomes, 35 units at 2152 East Wildermuth Drive) was approved unanimously as part of the consent agenda.
  • Meeting minutes from the April 8, 2025 study session and regular meeting were also approved unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

Six members of the public spoke on Item 5A:

  • Kay Price (resident of Orchid House, Tempe): Expressed support for preserving the sanctuary building and requested a stipulation to ensure its conveyance to the city.
  • Philip Yates (President, Riverside Memories Association): Opposed the project, citing concerns about the loss of historic character, the 29-story height being out of scale, and the lack of affordable housing in the 818-unit development.
  • Darcy Ortiz (resident of Orchid House): Raised concerns about the relocation of rooftop amenities to the west side of the building, which she said could impact her building’s residents with noise and lack of screening. She requested landscaping considerations.
  • David Sokolowski (Tempe resident): Spoke in support, citing a severe housing shortage (34,000 units needed by 2030) and the need for downtown housing to reduce traffic and car dependency. He supported the reduced parking proposal.
  • Omar Abdallah (attorney for the Islamic Community Center of Tempe, ICC): Noted that the ICC has been adjacent to the site for 40 years and has worked productively with the applicant. He agreed with staff’s stipulations, particularly regarding increased parking, removable bollards requiring city approval, and relocation or enhanced screening of the dog run. He emphasized that the ICC’s concerns about height, parking, and alley traffic had been addressed.

Discussion Items

  • Item 5A (7th Street Residential): The applicant, represented by Darren Sender (Sender Associates) and architect Doug Tickner, presented a 29-story mixed-use development with 818 dwelling units, ground-floor restaurant, and preservation of the historic sanctuary (church) and the Harry Walker House. The project required removal of a Historic Preservation Overlay on 0.76 acres, a PAD to modify height (up to 300 feet), parking (minimum 382 spaces, ratio of 0.195 per bedroom), and setback standards. Staff recommended approval with several conditions, including four parking options (one additional level of above-grade parking or other combinations). Commissioners discussed the timing of the development agreement (DA) with the city, which would be finalized later (first reading May 22, second hearing July 1). There were concerns about the project stalling if the DA is not approved, and about the lack of public plazas. The commission also noted that the conveyance of the sanctuary to the city is not within DRC purview, but is expected to be part of the DA.
  • Other items on the agenda (4A, 4B, 5B) were not discussed or voted on during this meeting.

Key Outcomes

  • Item 5A: Approved by a vote of 5-2, with Commissioners Spears and Redman dissenting. The motion was made by Commissioner Spears and seconded by Commissioner Richter, approving the project with the staff-recommended conditions (including parking ratio of 0.195 per bedroom, minimum 382 spaces, maximum height of 300 feet, and other design and operational stipulations). The dissenting commissioners cited concerns about the project’s timing, lack of public benefit details, and the impact on the historic area.
  • The next scheduled DRC meeting is May 13, 2025, at the same time and location.

Meeting Transcript

April twenty second twenty-four. The purpose of the development review commission is created to hold me and hearings provide analysis and recommendations to the city council land use policy where the commission has recommended power and rendered on specified final decision making power limited to all aspects of the proposed development. Development review recognize the creation of a desirable environment city for business is a prime requisite for the pendence of land values, aesthetics, and goods by harmonious and compatible development that is therefore considered in the best interest of the public. Any person approved by a final decision council within council after review standard its decision recommendations to the city council not final decisions. All right. Linda Smith, Commissioner Barbara Lloyd. We have Brian Levesque, Karen Stoll, Lucas, and Jason Wolf. Members of the public this evening, you'll be given up to three minutes to speak. Uh will assist in monitoring that time for us. Also, please are online. The chat box is not moderated. So if you are here to speak tonight, we do have these comment cards. Fill them up to um Miss B. So during the session, we reviewed the identified a number of items that we are planning to present. Our intended vote. All right. Our next agenda is consideration of meeting minutes and the meeting. Looking for a motion for approval. Review commission session minutes and from five. Second. All those by second by commissioner and all in approval. Agenda is a motion for approval of our consent agenda. Which is three A and a second. Second. All right. Commissioner Tom, second by Commissioner Richter, and that was all right. The next is we are going to hear 5A is the residential. We'll just ask you to come up and present after that with a presentation from John. Okay, thanks. There's a lot of stuff. All right. Commissioner members of the I'm Darren Sender, senders here development spaces. I have uh also here tonight. Uh name Doug Tickner. Did I say that? I always say it wrong. Okay. I'm sorry. I always say it wrong. And uh architect. So obviously someone that's gonna talk more about the building. I would like to tonight uh the kind of the history and the process that we went through. I'd like to have Doug's a big project we're working on years investments. And uh his perspective on the process. Thank you. Dougner uh senior girl of course. And to a core has come out in very positive and productive conversations with staff to kind of get to the output today, which is quite in alignment with so thank you for your time. Thank you. All right, I'd like to start. Um we've been working on this about seven years.

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