|
ITEM 3 |
City Council Memorandum Development Services Memo No. 23-026FA
|
Date: |
July 17, 2023 |
To: |
Mayor and Council |
Thru: |
Joshua H. Wright, City Manager Andy Bass, Deputy City Manager Micah Miranda, Acting Development Services Director |
From: |
Lauren Schumann, Planning Senior Program Manager |
Subject: |
PLH22-0018 Honeysuckle Trail Final Adoption of Ordinance No. 5055 |
Request: |
Rezoning from Single-Family District (SF-33) to Planned Area Development (PAD) for single-family residential and a City Park |
Location: |
Northwest corner of Warner Road and Bullmoose Drive, approximately ½ mile west of Dobson Road |
Applicant: |
Ralph Pew, Pew and Lake, PLC |
|
|
|
Proposed Motion: |
Rezoning Move City Council adopt Ordinance No. 5055 approving PLH22-0018 Honeysuckle Trail, Rezoning from SF-33 to Planned Area Development (PAD) for single-family residential and a City Park, subject to the conditions as recommended by Planning and Zoning Commission. |
Background Data: |
- Subject site approximately 12.5 acres (existing parcel covering proposed subdivision, park and retention area)
- 1978: Rezoned from AG-1 to SF-33 within a larger 149-acre rezoning case that included the subdivision to the north and east
- The north side of the property was a tract owned by a church (the Cathedral of Praise) and retained water for the Orangetree subdivision to the north and east
- 1980: Use Permit approval to operate a church on a residential property
- 2007: Use Permit approval for two associated residential units for the church (never built)
- 2018: Rezoning application for 57-lot single-family subdivision filed (withdrawn)
- A dilapidated church, ancillary buildings, and a retention basin currently exist on site
- K. Hovnanian Homes (applicant) proposes a single-family subdivision on the south 8 acres and a public park with retention basin on the north approximately 4.5 acres
|
Surrounding Land Use Data: |
North |
El Alba Way, then single-family residential |
South |
Warner Road, then single-family residential |
East |
Bullmoose Drive, then single-family residential |
West |
School (Foundation for Blind Children), single-family residential, and City water production facility (all are in unincorporated Maricopa County) |
|
General Plan and Area Plan Designations: |
Plan |
Existing |
Proposed |
General Plan |
Neighborhoods |
No Change |
|
Proposed Development |
Proposed Land Use |
Single-family subdivision |
Number of Lots |
48 |
Proposed Density |
6 du/ac *Public Park and Retention Basin excluded from calculations |
Building Setbacks |
Front Yard: 20 ft. from back of sidewalk to garage door; 13 ft. from property line to livable area Side Yards: 5 ft. for each side Rear Yard: 10 ft.; Accessory buildings 5 ft. |
Lot Size |
4,000 sq. ft. to 6,859 sq. ft. Minimum lot size 40 ft. x 100 ft. |
Building Height |
All two-story product; maximum 30 ft. |
Maximum Lot Coverage |
60% |
Square Footage of Proposed Houses |
1,979 sq. ft. to 2,640 sq. ft. |
Proposed Architectural Themes |
3 (Spanish Modern, Farmhouse, and Contemporary) |
Number of Floor Plans |
4 |
Provided Parking |
Each lot provides a two-vehicle garage with driveways for two additional vehicles; each garage pre-wired for electric vehicles (240V) On-street parking provided on both sides of the street; public streets within the subdivision (not gated) |
|
Review and Recommendation |
Planning staff finds the proposal to develop single-family lots with a medium density of 6 dwelling units per acre is compatible with the adjacent single-family lots averaging 7,000 square feet to the east. The proposed single-family subdivision abuts a private school, two unincorporated residential lots, and a City water production facility to the west. The proposed single-family subdivision is not gated and will provide City standard streets allowing for parking on both sides of the street. Housing product design is included with this request and provides three architectural themes with four different floor plans to provide variety throughout the community. All homes proposed are two-story. The subject site, including the retention basin, has been in disarray since the passing of the church's pastor in 2016. The lack of maintenance on the retention basin has created significant flooding issues with the adjacent Orangetree neighborhood. The current conditions of the basin do not comply with City Code requirements. K. Hovnanian Homes proposes to develop the southern 8 acres of the site with 48 two-story single-family homes, a public park with a tot lot and seating area, and an improved retention basin on the northern 4.5 acres. A Development Agreement appears as a separate item on this City Council meeting agenda to identify the developers' responsibility to build the park and retention basin as well as the City's responsibility to accept ownership and maintenance of the park and retention basin. The Development Agreement outlines details regarding the design, construction, future ownership, and maintenance of the public park/retention basin. In order to provide the required stormwater retention volume and a public park, the retention basin will be five-feet deep and secured by a wrought-iron fence as required by Maricopa County. The agreement accomplishes several goals: 1) to provide a public park in one of the few square miles in north Chandler that does not already have one, 2) to resolve existing flooding issues by providing a well-maintained retention basin with sufficient volume to handle large storms, and 3) to provide a development solution that is compatible with the existing neighborhood for the remaining 8 acres. Planning staff has reviewed the request and supports the proposal, citing consistency with the General Plan. The proposal is consistent with policies of the General Plan which call for a variety of housing choices and a compatible mix of housing types within the Neighborhood designation. Furthermore, the site is adjacent to an arterial street, located half a mile from the Loop 101 Price Freeway, and is an infill parcel that needs an appropriate transition between land uses of different intensities. For these reasons, Planning and Zoning Commission recommends approval subject to conditions. |
Traffic Analysis |
A Traffic Impact Statement (TIS) was submitted and accepted by the City's Transportation Engineer. Traffic is a major concern of adjacent residents, in particular the intersection of Bullmoose Drive and Warner Road. Residents at the first neighborhood meeting requested the entrance be located on Warner Road and a traffic signal be installed. According to the City's Transportation Engineer, this request is infeasible for several safety reasons. First, best practice is to utilize collector streets and minimize the amount of access points on arterials, particularly with the existing Bullmoose Drive access in close proximity. Second, Bullmoose Drive does not align to the south side of Warner Road, which prevents the installation of a signal. The City studied the intersection in 2022 and deemed traffic volumes did not warrant a signal. The additional proposed 48 single-family lots do not change the study's findings. |
Public / Neighborhood Notification |
- This request was noticed in accordance with the requirements of the Chandler Zoning Code.
- A neighborhood meeting was held on January 10, 2023. The applicant's team, Development Services staff, members of the City Council and the City Manager's Office, and approximately 100 residents attended. The applicant gave a presentation and opened the floor up for questions. A majority of the residents were against the proposed development, citing concerns with traffic, density, two-story homes, maintenance of an existing ditch between the site and county island properties to the west, and maintenance of the proposed park and retention basin. Some residents offered support for the proposal.
- A second neighborhood meeting was held April 12, 2023, to share the revised site plan with a second entrance on Bullmoose Drive. The meeting was well-attended with residents both in opposition and support. A majority of the questions were directed toward design, maintenance, and possible future homeowner association complaints regarding the proposed retention basin and public park.
- Attached as an exhibit are the meeting minutes for both neighborhood meetings.
- A neighborhood meeting sign was posted on the site and on social media via NextDoor for both meetings.
- As of the writing of this memo, Planning staff is aware of opposition to and support for the request (see attached letters).
|
Planning and Zoning Commission Vote Report |
Planning and Zoning Commission meeting June 7th, 2023 Motion to Approve In Favor: 7 Opposed: 0 The item was on the action agenda due to the known amount of opposition to the request from surrounding residents. Ten residents spoke during the meeting: two in support, six in opposition, and two with concerns but not stating opposition. Concerns cited included an increase in traffic volumes within the neighborhood and along Warner Road, compatibility of proposed lot and house sizes, and design of the park and retention basin. Chair Heumann added PDP stipulation 11 to provide more diversity of houses along Warner Road by prohibiting same floor plan and/or architectural theme to be built next to each other since all proposed housing product is two stories in height. |
Recommended Conditions of Approval |
Ordinance was introduced and tentatively adopted on June 29, 2023. Rezoning Planning and Zoning Commission recommends the City Council approve the rezoning from SF-33 to PAD for single-family residential, subject to the following conditions:
- Development shall be in substantial conformance with the Development Booklet, entitled, "Honeysuckle Trail" and kept on file in the City of Chandler Planning Division, in File No. PLH22-0018, modified by such conditions included at the time the Booklet was approved by the Chandler City Council and/or as thereafter amended, modified or supplemented by Chandler City Council.
- Prior to the time of making any lot reservations or subsequent sales agreements, the homebuilder/lot developer shall provide a written disclosure statement, for the signature of each buyer, acknowledging that the subdivision is located adjacent to or nearby existing ranchette and animal privilege properties that may cause adverse noise, odors and other externalities. The "Public Subdivision Report", "Purchase Contracts", CC&R's and the individual lot property deeds shall include a disclosure statement outlining that the site is adjacent to agricultural properties that have horse and animal privileges and shall state that such uses are legal and should be expected to continue indefinitely. This responsibility for notice rests with the homebuilder/lot developer, and shall not be construed as an absolute guarantee by the City of Chandler for receiving such notice.
- Completion of the construction of all required off-site street improvements including but not limited to paving, landscaping, curb, gutter and sidewalks, median improvements and street lighting to achieve conformance with City codes, standard details, and design manuals.
- The landscaping in all private open-spaces shall be maintained by the property owner or property owners' association, and shall be maintained at a level consistent with or better than at the time of planting.
- The landscaping in all rights-of-way shall be maintained by the adjacent property owner or property owners' association.
- The developer shall be required to install landscaping in the arterial street median(s) adjoining this project. In the event that the landscaping already exists within such median(s) the developer shall be required to upgrade such landscaping to meet current City Standards.
- Right-of-way dedications to achieve full half-widths, including turn lanes and deceleration lanes, per the standards of the Chandler Transportation Plan.
- Minimum setbacks shall be as provided below and further detailed in the development booklet:
Property Line |
Building Setback |
Front Yard |
20 ft. from back of sidewalk to garage door 13 ft. from property line to livable |
Side Yards |
5 ft. for each side |
Rear Yard |
10 ft.; Accessory buildings 5 ft. |
|
|
|