Summary:
Summary:
The applicant, Shaine Alleman of Tiffany & Bosco, on behalf of the Overland Group, LLC, is requesting the approval of a Specific Area Plan Amendment and Rezone to facilitate the development of a 200-unit, gated, multi-family residential community on the subject site. The request(s) are summarized below:
- Specific Area Plan Amendment (GPA22-03): Change the land use designation for the subject site within the Old Town Specific Area Plan from Old Town Flex Mixed Use to Old Town High Density Residential (25 - 40 du/ac).
- Rezone (Z22-08): Change the zoning for the subject site from Central Commercial (C-3) to Overland Peoria Commons Planned Area Development (PAD), subject to stated conditions of approval.
Overland Peoria Development Proposal:
The Overland Group is seeking to develop a gated, multi-family residential community of up to 200 units on a vacant, 7.5 acre site, yielding a gross density of 26.8 units per acre. The development consists of 2- and 3-story buildings, with an overall maximum height of forty (40) feet. The three-story buildings are internalized within the site, with the two-story townhome units flanking Grand Avenue and the western edge. The development proposes a unit mix of studio (24%), 1-bdr (30%), 2-bdr (34%) and 3-bdr (12%) units. The community provides an array of amenities including a pool, clubhouse, tot lot, pickleball courts, fireplace, barbeque areas and green spaces.
Site Location and Context:
The site is located at the west corner of 84th Avenue and Grand Avenue, and is more precisely addressed as 8455 NW Grand Avenue, as depicted within Exhibit 1. Formerly, the site was a Smitty’s grocery store, which has since been demolished.
Contextually, the 7.5-acre site is located along Grand Avenue and proximate to the core of downtown Peoria. More specifically, the site is situated within the Central District of the Old Town Specific Area Plan (OTSAP), which is one of the core areas of focus for redevelopment and revitalization of downtown Peoria.
The site is located along Grand Avenue and is adjacent to several commercially zoned parcels, with businesses such as K-May Donuts and Bagels. Across 85th Avenue to the west is the Goodwill and Obsidian on 85th Apartments. The site shares a southern boundary with Wagoner Plaza II, which features several local businesses such as Brother’s Restaurant and A Glowing Smile Dental Care. The site is also bordered on the south by Peoria Avenue, and the parcels containing Cactus Chiropractic and Don Lencho’s restaurant. The location of the site is shown in more detail on Exhibit 1.
Specific Area Plan Amendment (Case GPA22-03):
Currently, the site is designated as Flex-Mixed Use (FMU), a category that is intended to facilitate large regional uses such as convention centers, hotels, or higher education institutions. As the applicant asserts in the Specific Area Plan Amendment Narrative, the existing long-term vacancy of the property indicates that the FMU category is not appropriate or viable based on market conditions (Exhibit 3). Instead, the applicant proposes to amend the OTSAP land use category to Old Town High Density Residential (25-40 du/ac) to facilitate the proposed development.
Rezone (Case Z22-08):
The proposed Planned Area Development (PAD) contemplates multi-family uses and development standards in alignment with the proposed land use designation. The PAD limits the number of dwelling units to a maximum of 200 units (approximately 26.77 du/ac) for the development, which falls within the OTSAP High Density Residential land use designation range of 25-40 du/ac (Exhibit 3). The Multi-Family Residential (RM-1) Zoning District is used as the basis for the use and development standards within the PAD.
The applicant contends that the proposed multi-family development creates synergies with adjacent existing uses and will aid in the fulfillment of the intent of the Old Town Specific Area Plan and the broader City of Peoria General Plan.
Circulation and Access:
Grand Avenue is a 4-lane divided major arterial roadway, and a part of the National Highway System. Therefore, it is under the jurisdiction of the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT). The proposal does not contemplate any direct vehicular access from Grand Avenue, which would result in the closure of the current access point that resides in the center of the parcel’s Grand Avenue frontage.
Vehicular access modifications to and from Grand Avenue are subject to approval from ADOT and will need to comply with the US 60 / Grand Avenue Corridor Optimization, Access Management, and System (COMPASS) Study. This study limits the number of curb cuts along the Grand Avenue right-of-way. After both applicant and City consultation with ADOT, the conceptual site design of Overland Peoria Commons has taken this limitation into consideration, and will comply with ADOT requirements by closing down the current direct access driveway to Grand Avenue. ADOT has indicated that it will likely also require the applicant to construct a deceleration lane from southeast bound Grand Avenue to southbound 84th Avenue.
As the site is currently contemplated, vehicular access would be gained from full access drives on 84th and 85th Avenues. The access from 84th Avenue would serve as the main vehicular access point. The vehicular access to Peoria Avenue would be closed. The proposed development would also provide themed pedestrian access to adjacent rights-of-way as well as a new bus shelter along Peoria Avenue to further facilitate the transit-oriented nature of the area.
Public Notice:
The application was properly noticed pursuant to Section 21-315 of the Peoria Zoning Ordinance, which includes notification to all property owners within 600 feet of the site and 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.
Public Outreach:
As a requirement of the rezoning application processes, 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 a 600-foot radius of the site, all registered Homeowners’ Associations within one (1) mile, adjacent jurisdictions, and affected school districts for the required neighborhood meeting.
The neighborhood meeting was held in person on August 31, 2022 at 6:00pm at the Peoria Woman’s Club Building located at 10381 N. 84th Avenue Peoria, AZ 85345. It is important to note that at the time of the neighborhood meeting that the proposal contained a commercial component along Grand Avenue rather than the currently proposed townhome configuration along Grand Avenue. Five (5) property owners attended the meeting, along with the district councilmember, council assistant, city staff, and the development team. At the meeting, the applicant presented the details of the project and answered resident’s questions. General feedback from residents included concerns about the following: 1) viability of the commercial due to access constraints, 2) ensuring that the multi-family development was affordable, and 3) potential traffic generation, as a result of the proposed residential units.
The applicant has since removed the commercial component from the development proposal and instead proposed multi-family residential across the totality of the site. In response to the inquiry about whether the units would be affordable, the applicant identified that the multi-family units would be market rate units. In response to the inquiry about traffic generation, the applicant identified that the adjacent roadway network and proposed access points are in accordance with City of Peoria standards based on the anticipated traffic generation.
Support / Opposition:
Prior to the Planning Commission Hearing, staff received ten (10) letters in support from surrounding businesses, and two (2) letters of opposition from local residents.
The opposition letters are centered on a desire to see solely commercial uses on the subject site rather than multi-family residential. The letters of support are all from nearby businesses and identify general support for the proposed development.
At the Planning and Zoning Commission hearing, the applicant provided an email from a resident in support of the proposed development (Exhibit 5).
Peoria Unified School District:
This property is within the Peoria Unified School District (PUSD) boundary. Students residing in this development would attend Cheyenne Elementary School and Peoria High School, respectively. PUSD has participated in the review of this project and has been in communication with the applicant regarding the proposal and school facilities in the area. PUSD has provided feedback identifying sufficient capacity to service the development proposal (Exhibit 4).