Consideration and Approval of Preliminary Plat: RP4V, LLC and RP40, LLC request approval of the Preliminary Plat for Rio Homes Unit 4, a 6-unit multi-family residential townhome subdivision (PZ-19-00019-07). The 5.1-acre site is located at 1221 East Emma Drive in the MR, Medium Density Residential Zone, and has a Resource Protection Overlay (RPO).

A request for Preliminary Plat approval for Rio Homes Unit 4, a 6-unit multi-family residential townhome subdivision. The developer is proposing to modify (replat) the previous Rio Homes Unit 4 plat to erase existing lot lines, and clarify parking and access issues, so that 40 additional multifamily residential housing units currently being built on the site can be sold individually as condos (the condominium plat is being processed concurrently through Preliminary Plat application PZ-19-00019-06).

No financial impacts are anticipated with this Preliminary Plat.

No policy impacts are affiliated with this Preliminary Plat.

Carbon Neutrality Plan

• DD-1:  Encourage vibrancy, appropriate density, and attainability in existing neighborhoods, so that more residents live within walking distance of their daily needs.

PBB Key Community Priorities/Objectives

• Robust Resilient Economy - Grow and strengthen a more equitable and resilient economy.

Regional Plan Policies and Goals

• Policy LU.5.1. Encourage development patterns within the designated growth boundaries to sustain efficient infrastructure projects and maintenance.
• Policy LU.5.2. Promote infill development over peripheral expansion to conserve environmental resources, spur economic investments, and reduce the cost of providing infrastructure and services.
• Goal NH.1. Foster and maintain healthy and diverse urban, suburban, and rural neighborhoods in the Flagstaff region.
• Policy WR.4.3. Development requiring public utility services will be located within the Urban Growth Boundary.

• 2002: City Council approved the Ordinance No. 2002-03, An Ordinance Authorizing the Sale of City Owned Real Property for Affordable Housing in the Rio Homes Development
• 2005: City Council approved the Rio Homes Final Plat
• 2020: City Council approved the Rio Homes Unit 4 Final Plat on October 20th

1. Approve the Preliminary Plat with no conditions.
2. Approve the Preliminary Plat with conditions.
3. Deny the Preliminary Plat based on non-compliance with the Zoning Code, the Subdivision Code, and/or the Engineering Standards and Specifications for New Infrastructure.

Development History
The subject site is located at located at 1221 E. Emma Dr. on the north side of East Pine Knoll Drive and east of Lone Tree Road. The Rio Homes Unit 4 development was originally intended in the mid-2000s to be a cohousing type of community and included a larger parcel intended for a common house. The original 2005 subdivision plat proposed variety of detached and attached residential building types across 21 lots and 9 tracts. The only structures from the original development plan that were ultimately built were six townhome units, each with an associated detached garage (two of the garages have an accessory dwelling unit on the second floor).
 
A first amendment to the Rio Homes Unit 4 subdivision was recorded in 2021 to allow for the development of 40 additional multifamily residential units. The amendment modified the 2005 plat to create 12 lots and 3 tracts to allow for the development of 40 multifamily residential units (rental apartments). It maintained the lot lines for the townhomes and garages that had already been developed but removed most of the lot lines that had not been developed. City staff approved the Site Plan for the 40 residential units on March 26, 2020 (Civil Plans were approved on July 10, 2020, and Building Permits were approved on November 11, 2021).
 
The developer has decided to turn the 40 multifamily residential units into condominiums so that they can be sold individually. The condominiums are located on Tracts B and C of the Rio Homes Unit 4 subdivision plat and are being processed as a separate Preliminary Plat (PZ-19-00019-06).
 
The focus of this Preliminary Plat approval request is a second amendment to the Rio Homes Unit 4 subdivision plat.  The purpose of the request is to erase the property lines for six townhome lots that were never developed (lots 165-168, 170, and 172) so that the multifamily residential units being built in these locations can be sold individually. The amendment also clarifies parking/access between the townhome and condominium owners. Staff also administratively approved this plat on May 26, 2022
 
Type of Plat
This Preliminary Plat amendment is for a townhome subdivision consisting of 6 townhome lots and associated garages. All areas in the subdivision not allocated as lots are reserved as tracts. There are three tracts. The purposes of Tract A are: access easement, ingress/egress, parking, common element, and open space. The purposes of Tract B are: common element, open space, resource protection, drainage maintenance easement, and multifamily development. The purposes of Tract C are: ingress/egress, parking, common element, and open space. 

The City Council shall find the proposed Final Plat meets the requirements of City Code Title 10, Flagstaff Zoning Code; City Code Title 11, General Plans and Subdivisions; and City Code Title 13, Engineering Design Standards and Specifications.

This amendment will facilitate the addition of 40 new for-sale housing units to the existing six townhome units on the Rio Homes Unit 4 site (through the concurrent Preliminary Plat for Rio Homes Unit 4 Condominiums, case number PZ-19-00019-06). The new housing will be a mix of one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments.

Inform. No public hearings or public outreach are required by either the Zoning Code or the Subdivision Code as part of a Preliminary Plat subdivision review process.