Summary:
Introduction:
The applicant, Amena Peoria LLC, is requesting to amend the existing Planned Area Development (PAD) zoning entitlement for a vacant 3.3 acre site located at the southwest corner of 75th Avenue and Paradise Lane in the P83 District. More specifically, the proposal would enable the development of a “dual brand” hotel. The hotel would consist of 198 rooms in one four-story building. Additionally, the hotel will contain associated uses such as restaurant/bar, and it will feature a rooftop pool.
Directly to the north of the property is a small commercial center, and just beyond that is the busy Bell Road commercial corridor. This area has seen recent significant reinvestment, particularly near the corner of 75th Avenue and Bell Road through the removal and redevelopment of both a gas station at the hard corner as well a restaurant just west of the intersection to allow for new multi-tenant commercial buildings.
Immediately to the south and west of the subject property are Arizona Canal Diversion Channel (ACDC) and Skunk Creek Channel respectively. Beyond the channels to the west is the Pillar at Bella Vista, which is a 3-story apartment complex. To the south of ACDC lies the Legacy Place subdivision as well as a mini-storage facility. East of the subject property, across 75th Avenue, is a vacant 10 acre vacant parcel that is currently in review for a proposed four-story urban-style multi-family residential development.
The PAD Standards and Guidelines Report identifies site-specific development standards which are customized to the development in order to appropriately accommodate the context of the existing and desired urban environment. There are specific development standard adjustments to enhance compatibility including reductions in the setbacks along Paradise Lane to pull the building towards the street, a minor modification to the height (increase of 5 feet) to account for architectural form and screening, and design standards that incorporate modern elements as well as those found within the P83 theming.
Related History:
The current zoning for the site was established in 2007 as the Paradiso Planned Area Development (PAD) Zoning District. This Planned Area Development was intended to facilitate a vertically integrated and office-anchored mixed-use development within a four-story building. There was a very wide variety of uses contemplated at the time; however a hotel was not previously identified as one of those permitted uses. The proposed PAD amendment would allow for the requested hotel use, along with the necessary standards to facilitate the proposed development.
General Plan Conformance:
On July 6, 2010, the Mayor and City Council adopted Resolution 2010-61 for the Peoria Sports Complex Urban Design Plan (or Urban Design Plan). The Urban Design Plan provided a vision for the future land uses within the Sports Complex localized area, and identified the form that those land uses should take. The Urban Design Plan contained goals including:
- Creating a successful, walkable, destination-oriented and pedestrian focused mixed-use entertainment venue in an existing suburban development with a major league Spring training facility and other sports related activities as its primary focal point;
- Ensuring that existing and future commercial, mixed-use, and residential development can be sustained by the regional and local market;
The proposed Planned Area Development (PAD) amendment for the hotel development is in accordance with the Sports Complex Mixed-Use land use designation and advances the goals of the City of Peoria General Plan and the sub-area character plan contained within the Sports Complex Urban Design Plan.
Analysis of Request:
The proposed standards for the PAD identify context appropriate modifications to the setbacks, landscape buffer requirements, and the required architectural enhancements that will bring about the desired urban context sought after within the P83 Entertainment District as further described below.
Instead of the typical fifteen (15) foot landscape tract along the street frontage for Paradise Lane, the landscape width has been reduced to seven (7) feet. Seven (7) feet allows for flexibility in design elements and pedestrian focused theming, while still providing sufficient space for trees to survive along the Paradise Lane street frontage. More specifically, the applicant is proposing reduced street frontage landscaping widths and increases in pedestrian walkway width to create the desired urban, walkable environment envisioned with the Urban Design Plan. The walkable space along the streets also accommodates a leg of a regional Skunk Creek trail system (Exhibit D of the 2/1/18 Planning and Zoning Commission Staff Report).
The rear setback, which would be the side facing the ACDC channel and single family residential to the south, remains thirty (30) feet. This creates an approximately five hundred fifty (550) foot separation between the proposed hotel and the single family residential to the south.
The proposed overall building height maximum would increase by five (5) feet from the current PAD allowance to sixty-five (65) feet.
As mentioned previously, the existing PAD does not allow for hotel uses or any uses that would be typically considered accessory to the hotel use. Consequently, the list of desired uses to be included within the PAD is as follows:
Principally Permitted Uses:
Permitted Accessory Uses (limited to 25% of any surrounding common area):
- Outdoor Dining
- Bar
- Restaurant
The proposed uses above are consistent with the uses contemplated and included in the adopted in the Peoria Sports Complex Urban Design Plan.
Public Participation:
As a requirement of the General Plan Amendment and Rezoning application processes, the applicant conducted a neighborhood meeting and provided a Citizen Participation Report detailing the results of the meeting (Exhibit F of the 2/1/18 Planning and Zoning Commission Staff Report).
The applicant notified all property owners within a 600 foot radius of the site and all registered Homeowner’s Associations within one (1) mile for the required neighborhood meeting. The meeting was held on December 19, 2017 at 6:00 p.m. at the Peoria Chamber of Commerce.
There were two (2) neighbors in attendance at the neighborhood meeting in addition to the development team for the hotel, the Councilmember for the subject council district, and the Councilmember for the adjacent council district. The applicant presented the details of the proposed project to the attendees.
The two neighborhood attendees felt that the project would be beneficial for the area.
To date, the City has not received any correspondence in support or opposition to this request. On February 1, 2018, the Planning & Zoning Commission voted 7-0 to recommend approval of this request. There were no speakers from the general public present at the hearing.