Consideration and Approval of Preliminary Plat Ponderosa Parkway LLC requests Preliminary Plat approval for Ponderosa Parkway Condominiums—a 169-unit residential condominium subdivision at 1650 E. Ponderosa Parkway on 11.97 acres in the HR (High Density Residential) Zone.

This is a request for Preliminary Plat approval for a 169-unit residential condominium subdivision known as Ponderosa Parkway Condominiums.  See the attached vicinity map, Preliminary Plat, and Planning and Zoning Commission Staff Summary for more information

No financial liabilities are anticipated by the approval of this Preliminary Plat.

There are no policy impacts affiliated with this Preliminary Plat.

Council Goals
Economic Development - Grow and strengthen a more equitable and resilient economy.

Team Flagstaff Strategic Plan
Work in partnership to enhance a safe and livable community.

Flagstaff Regional Plan 

• Goal ED.8 Promote the continued physical and economic viability of the region’s commercial districts by focusing investment on existing and new activity centers.
• Policy E.1.4 Promote cost-effective, energy-efficient technologies and design in all new buildings for residential construction.  
• Policy LU.2.2. Design new development to coordinate with existing and future development, in an effort to preserve viewsheds, strengthen connectivity, and establish compatible and mutually supportive land uses.
• 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.
• Policy LU.5.3. Promote compact development appropriate to and within the context of each area type: urban, suburban, and rural.
• Policy LU.10.5. Consider vacant and underutilized parcels within the City’s existing urban neighborhoods as excellent locations for contextual redevelopment that adds housing, shopping, employment, entertainment, and recreational options for nearby residents and transit patrons.
• LU.18.4. Encourage developers to provide activity centers and corridors with housing of various types and price points, especially attached and multifamily housing.
• Policy OS.1.5 Integrate open space qualities into the built environment.
• Policy WR.4.3. Development requiring public utility services will be located within the Urban Growth Boundary
• Policy WR.5.1 Preserve and restore existing natural watercourse corridors, including the 100-year floodplain, escarpments, wildlife corridors, natural vegetation, and other natural features using methods that result in a clear legal obligation to preserve corridors in perpetuity, where feasible.

None.

1. Approve the Preliminary Plat with no conditions, as recommended by the Planning and Zoning Commission.
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 Design Standards and Specifications for New Infrastructure.

On February May 28, 2019, the Inter-Division Staff approved a Site Plan for 169 new residential units distributed across 13 three-story buildings (PZ-17-00277-02) pending a successful Zoning Map Amendment from RR (Rural Residential) to HR (High Density Residential).  City Council approved a Large-Scale Zoning Map Amendment on September 3, 2019, (Ordinance No. 2019-27) to change the zoning designation from RR (Rural Residential) to HR. City Council also approved Ordinance No. 2019-29 on September 3, 2019, to formally accept all easements on the site received in 2010, and to include maintenance, access, exclusivity, and overall purpose of the easements. Staff approved Civil Engineering Plans in June 2020; the applicant also has approved permits for on-site grading and retaining walls, and public improvements. 
 
The 13 three-story buildings will contain 13 units each. The units range from studio to three-bedroom units and are approximately 500 to 1,300 square feet. The applicant has elected to construct the buildings to meet the Residential Sustainability Building Standards in Section 10-30.70.040 of the City of Flagstaff Zoning Code. This type of construction provided the applicant with up to a 25% density bonus (the HR Zone density range is 10-22 units per acre but the maximum is 13 units per acre in a Suburban Activity Center designated in the Flagstaff Regional Plan). Thus, the applicant would be allowed to increase density from 156 to 195 units; the applicant elected to build 169 units.
 
The applicant has also committed to providing 16 “Attainable Housing Units.”  These units will be disbursed throughout the development to the greatest extent feasible (with no exterior difference between the attainable and market-rate units).  The units will be sold at or below 100% of the Area Median Income (“AMI”) affordability level.
 
The project will make several improvements on the site and in the adjacent right of way in response to requirements identified by public systems analyses conducted at Site Plan. They include a new right turn lane at the middle of the three driveways that will provide access to the site off Ponderosa Parkway, four (4) LID (Low Impact Development) basins to capture and meter out stormwater, and new 12-inch water and sewer lines along Ponderosa Parkway.

Staff approved the Preliminary Plat on May 1, 2020 based on compliance with City Code Title 11, General Plans and Subdivisions. On June 10, 2020 Planning and Zoning Commission voted 5-0 in favor of forwarding the Preliminary Plat to City Council with a recommendation for approval.

Staff approval of the Site Plan in 2019 and the Civil Engineering Plans in 2020 signifies the project complies with Title 10: Zoning Code and Title 13: Engineering Design Standards and Specifications for New Infrastructure. Thus, the developer was permitted to apply for additional grading and other permits, which have since been approved.
 
However, the applicant has opted to create a Condominium Plat to separate ownership of each unit from ownership of the land beneath. In this case, ownership is of the airspace within each unit and the limited common elements (porches, decks) associated with each unit. Shared areas inside each building and the spaces between the floor plates and walls are considered “common elements.” Tract “A” contains all areas outside of the buildings and the limited common elements. It is dedicated as a common element to the owner association and as a public utility easement for service to the condominiums. It includes tree and slope resources, amenities, private access easements, and drainage and detention basins. Staff approval of the Preliminary Plat in 2020 signifies the project complies with Title 11, General Plans and Subdivisions.

The community benefits that this project brings are encapsulated in the Regional Plan goals that it meets, such as promoting economic development, providing a diversity of house types at a variety of price points, and integrating open space characteristics into development.

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