Summary:
Introduction:
The applicant is Rob Bassett of the Pederson Group Inc., and is represented by Paul Gilbert of Beus Gilbert McGroder. The applicant has filed three (3) associated cases to facilitate the entitlement of a 45.5 acre mixed-use lifestyle center called The Trailhead, which will consist of three integrated components, including commercial, residential and a religious facility.
- Aloravita PCD Amendment (Case Z 08-02A.3): Proposal to remove 26 acres from the Aloravita PCD master plan. This 26 acres is proposed for incorporation into the new 45-acre Trailhead Planned Area Development.
- Minor General Plan Amendment (Case GPA 17-04): Proposal to re-designate above-affected 26 acres from Traditional Residential (2-5 du/ac) to Mixed-Use Main Street.
- The Trailhead PAD (Case Z 17-27): Proposal to establish a new Planned Area Development (PAD) entitlement over the entire 45 acres for a proposed mixed-use development called The Trailhead.
Site Location and Area Context:
The subject site is a vacant, irregularly shaped area consisting of several parcels that total approximately 45.5 gross acres (approximately 39 net acres) located at the northeast corner of 83rd Avenue and Happy Valley Road. Both 83rd Avenue and Happy Valley Road are arterial roadways adjacent to the site that line the west and south boundaries respectively.
The subject site is a conglomeration of several different parcels referred to herein as The Trailhead (or Trailhead). More specifically, the northern 26 acres of the subject site is comprised of recently auctioned State Land that is currently within the Aloravita Planned Community District (PCD) and designated for single-family residential. The remaining 19 acres of the site contains several parcels held by different owners that are currently zoned both Suburban Ranch 43 (SR-43) and General Agricultural (AG).
The Trailhead Planned Area Development (PAD):
The proposed development contemplates an integrated, lifestyle development that will contain a mix of uses within three (3) distinct area with a focus on pedestrian integration, shared vehicular access and connection points, as well as cohesive design elements. In particular, the proposed land uses for The Trailhead development consist of commercial, retail and restaurant component, religious facility, and a multi-family residential component; each of which are described in greater detail below.
Commercial Component (20.7 acres)
This component contemplates a 135,994 square foot commercial lifestyle center. This center is anchored by a 63,000 square foot grocery store with an associated fueling station and will be supported by an array of restaurants, shops and pad buildings, replete with outdoor dining and gathering areas. The PAD allows for a tailored approach to the property development standards. To that end, the PAD provides the following limitations:
- Limit of one (1) fueling station on site
- Pads 6-9 are restricted from drive-through restaurants. These pads are contemplated as restaurant and outdoor dining opportunities, with buildings situated to disrupt views of parking areas and frame the corner to maximize Sunrise Mountain Preserve views in the area.
- Several incompatible uses are expressly prohibited in the PAD including, but not limited to, check cashing, donation centers, pawn shops, mini-storage warehouses, adult uses, auto sound system installation, auto rental facilities and others.
Religious Facility (4.3 acres)
This component includes a proposed 15,000 square foot non-denominational religious facility with ancillary functions.
- While a church is proposed for the site, the PAD zoning is aligned with the City's Office Commercial (O-1) district which allows for future opportunities for office, should the church seek alternate plans.
Multi-Family Residential (13.8 acres)
This component of the development proposes a gated, 336 unit multi-family residential complex consisting primarily of three (3) story buildings. The buildings are approximately thirty-seven (37’) feet high; however, when accounting for the drop in grade, the buildings will have an “effective” height near 30 feet, which is equivalent to the height allowance for single-family residential homes.
The proposed density for the project would be approximately 24.4 dwelling units per acre, which is in alignment with the proposed General Plan designation calling for densities in excess of 12-20 dwelling units per acre. While the complex would consist of 1-, 2- and 3-bedrom units, over 92% of the units will be one and two bedroom.
Access to this component will occur from the shared points within the commercial center, which will allow for focused and cohesive theming for all points of the development. Moreover, this component will incorporate several amenities and pedestrian connection points to the larger trail system for the development.
Infrastructure
Water and sewer facilities exist adjacent to the site and have the available capacity to serve the property. The site is bifurcated by two (2) water service areas. The northern 26 acres are located within Peoria’s service area and the southern 19 acres are located within the Sunrise Water Company service area. While not optimal, the applicant has worked with both entities to ensure adequate water supplies and connections will be available to serve the project.
Public Engagement Process:
Public Noticing
The application was properly noticed pursuant to Section 21-315 of the Peoria Zoning Ordinance, which includes notification to all property owners within 1,320 feet of the site and all registered HOAs within one (1) mile, posting of a sign on the site, and placing an ad in the Peoria Times at least 15 days prior to the Public Hearing.
Outreach Efforts
As a requirement of the rezoning application process, the applicant conducted a neighborhood meeting and provided a Citizen Participation Report detailing the results of the meeting. The applicant notified all property owners within the required radius of the site, all registered Homeowners’ Associations within one (1) mile, adjacent jurisdictions, and affected school districts for the required neighborhood meeting.
A neighborhood meeting was held on December 8, 2021 at 6pm, in person at the Westwing HOA Community Center (Exhibit 8). Approximately 50 people attended the neighborhood meeting. In addition, representatives from the City attended, including Councilmember Binsbacher and Councilmember Edwards, council assistants and planning staff. At the meeting, the development team presented the details of the project and answered resident’s questions.
Primary points of discussion from the attendees centered on the roadway improvements for 83rd Avenue, development timing, concerns regard property values as a result of the proposed multi-family component, and positive comments from residents to the south regarding the proposed traffic signal on Happy Valley Road at 79th Avenue.
In addition to the official Neighborhood meeting, the applicant held ad hoc meetings with interested parties to inform them of the project (Exhibit 8 of the Planning and Zoning Commission Report).
Support / Opposition
At the time of this report, the City has received (115) Letters of Support and (93) Letters of Opposition. Supportive parties cite the need for a master-planned approach to the corner development, desired upscale dining, service and placemaking opportunities, and more expansive housing options to serve the community. Parties in opposition have largely cited concerns with the multi-family component of the development and its perceived impacts (e.g. crime, property values, school capacity), but also have stated concerns with traffic, commercial vacancies in the area, wildlife preservation and loss of open desert.
It is important to recognize that some of these concerns are outside of the City’s purview when reviewing land use entitlements. For example, the City cannot prohibit development on private property. Rather, a privately-owned property may be developed so long as the development occurs in accordance with the General Plan and approved zoning for the site, and obtains all necessary permits. Some of those requirements include adherence to the City’s Desert Lands Conservation Overlay (DLCO) which aims to protect or minimize disturbance to major wash corridors, significant vegetative stands, and hillside areas, among other things. Additionally, the City does not have the authority or expertise to evaluate the rental structure or perceived impacts to property values as part of a land use entitlement review.
The proposed multi-family component would fulfill the General Plan designation that exists on the southern portion of the site (Main Street Mixed Use) and would fulfill larger goals to provide a balanced land use plan with range of housing types for a variety of lifestyle options.
With regard to traffic impacts, as part of any entitlement review, the City’s requires the submittal of a Traffic Impact Analysis (TIA) from a credentialed traffic professional which is then reviewed by the City’s traffic professionals. The TIA has identified that the site would allow for acceptable levels of service on adjacent roadways based on the addition of the proposed development and in conjunction with the stipulated improvements. The Traffic Engineering Division has provided stipulations identified within Exhibit 1 of this staff report that will facilitate traffic access and movements in accordance with City standards.
Peoria Unified School District
This area is within the Peoria Unified School District (PUSD) boundary. Accordingly, students generated from this development are currently designated for Frontier Elementary (K-8) and Sunrise Mountain High School, respectively. While the acquisition, siting, funding and operations of school facilities are the legally delegated responsibility of the State of Arizona through its school districts, the City works very closely with PUSD in the consideration of new development cases, corresponding spatial and absorption trends, and other related matters.
More specifically, PUSD is an integral part of the conversation and has participated in the review of this project. The applicant team has been in communication with PUSD regarding the proposal and school facilities in the area. PUSD has identified that they do not have a concern with the development as the program has been built into the plans for future school sites. Additionally, they note that the Developer and the school district will continue to work together to support public education. While this is typically facilitated through a Voluntary Assistance Agreement between the Developer and the District, please note that the City has no legal authority to require or promote such agreements.