Carefree Truth
Issue #598, October 16, 2017
The son of a friend of mine heard from a Realtor in downtown Phoenix, who was asking about the 43 story skyscraper that is going to be built in downtown Carefree, which would make it the tallest building in the state of Arizona. This is obviously ridiculous, but hearing all the crazy rumors, and with headlines like "A huge building has just been approved for our downtown" in the Sonoran News Letters to the Editor, he apparently thought it was possible.
Currently, a developer is looking into potentially building a residential community on 100 acres in north Carefree. We have been getting a significant number of email inquiries from our readers about this, as well as forwards containing outrageous content like that below, so I decided to address it sooner rather than later. It seems to be turning into the same sort of spinning-out-of-control rumor mill that created the 43 story building in our downtown. This is the sort of nonsense that is now appearing on Facebook.
Issue #598, October 16, 2017
The son of a friend of mine heard from a Realtor in downtown Phoenix, who was asking about the 43 story skyscraper that is going to be built in downtown Carefree, which would make it the tallest building in the state of Arizona. This is obviously ridiculous, but hearing all the crazy rumors, and with headlines like "A huge building has just been approved for our downtown" in the Sonoran News Letters to the Editor, he apparently thought it was possible.
Currently, a developer is looking into potentially building a residential community on 100 acres in north Carefree. We have been getting a significant number of email inquiries from our readers about this, as well as forwards containing outrageous content like that below, so I decided to address it sooner rather than later. It seems to be turning into the same sort of spinning-out-of-control rumor mill that created the 43 story building in our downtown. This is the sort of nonsense that is now appearing on Facebook.
Did you know that a developer asked Carefree to rezone 100 acres at Grapevine so he can build houses close together?
And tear down the ranches and build a super modern home with technology and a garage for their flying car!
- no to upzoning and if don't we got no one to blame for what comes of higher density development but ourselves.
- me wonder if any of the developers have been watching the news? In case they've missed it, there have been horrendous wild fires all over California. Our desert is a fragile ecosystem. Over development of this land will put more human lives in jeopardy from destruction by wildfires. Throughout history wildfires have been nature’s way of cleaning up overgrowth, but now with huge housing developments those fires have nowhere to go but through homes. This proposed development is nothing but greed on the part of developers. The developers don't care that they destroy the environment and that doing so will cause long-term damage tot he desert. All they care about is the $$$$
And tear down the ranches and build a super modern home with technology and a garage for their flying car!
- no to upzoning and if don't we got no one to blame for what comes of higher density development but ourselves.
- me wonder if any of the developers have been watching the news? In case they've missed it, there have been horrendous wild fires all over California. Our desert is a fragile ecosystem. Over development of this land will put more human lives in jeopardy from destruction by wildfires. Throughout history wildfires have been nature’s way of cleaning up overgrowth, but now with huge housing developments those fires have nowhere to go but through homes. This proposed development is nothing but greed on the part of developers. The developers don't care that they destroy the environment and that doing so will cause long-term damage tot he desert. All they care about is the $$$$
Here are the facts:
1. Page 24 of the General Plan refers to the Rural Residential designation providing for approximately 5 acre lots (not a minimum of 5 acre lots). Many people seem to have misinterpreted this to mean that land zoned R-190 must be developed as at least 5 acre lots.
2. The property is currently zoned R-190, which means a single family home may be built on 190,000 square feet (Section 6 of the Zoning Code). 190,000 sq. ft. translates to 4.36 acres. As zoned, this private property could contain 23 homes.
3. While an application has not been submitted to the Town as of now, the developer is going through the pre-application process which includes a neighborhood citizen participation meeting that has taken place.
4. The current plan is a request for 23 homes. This is not a request for an up-zoning, but rather for a density transfer within the property. Moving building envelopes and setback lines is frequently done on individual lots with sensitive features, and is encouraged in our Hillside Ordinance, with the undeveloped land deed restricted so it can never be developed.
5. The developer is proposing to preserve 50 acres with the highest and most visible slopes (the sensitive land) not with a deed restriction, whereby the land still belongs to the property owner, but with an outright deeding of the land to the Town of Carefree for Open Space. This 50 acres would connect the two 25 acre parcels already owned by the Town, which would double the size of the Carefree Preserve. By connecting the two 25 acre parcels, the donated 50 acres would allow for continuous access between the existing Town parcels, rather than having two small islands. For those who envision a much larger Carefree Preserve, this connected 100 acres may serve as a catalyst in the foundation for a growing preserve.
6. With the density transfer requested (again, not a re-zoning, as the number of homes on the property would not increase), the smallest lot would be over 1 acre and the largest would be over 2 acres. Most of the lots would be platted at around 70,000 sq. ft. and up. An acre is 43,000 sq. ft. These are similar lots sizes to Ranchitos Del Rey, the development abutting this property. It is in no way a "high density" development being proposed.
7. I won't even address the first two FB posts. The final FB post above referenced the danger of wildfires. The existing water line to that area does not support fire hydrants. If approved, the developer would be required to install a water line that would support fire hydrants. The line would run through Ranchitos Del Rey, thereby giving them the added protection of fire hydrant capability. The same post talks about greed and destroying the desert. A developer had the right to build the house in which the poster lives, on private property, yet is seems he or she would deny this right to others.
This is neither an endorsement for approval or disapproval for this proposed density shift. My intention is to share facts related to this proposal that maybe overlooked by the rampant rumor mill. Armed with facts, you can draw a factually based conclusion.
Lyn Hitchon
Prepared by Carefree Truth
Visit our website at www.carefreetruth2.com If you know anyone who would like to be added to the Carefree Truth email list, please have them contact me. Feel free to share Carefree Truth with others on your list.
Visit www.carefreeazbusinesses.com to see more info about businesses in Carefree. Please support our merchants.
1. Page 24 of the General Plan refers to the Rural Residential designation providing for approximately 5 acre lots (not a minimum of 5 acre lots). Many people seem to have misinterpreted this to mean that land zoned R-190 must be developed as at least 5 acre lots.
2. The property is currently zoned R-190, which means a single family home may be built on 190,000 square feet (Section 6 of the Zoning Code). 190,000 sq. ft. translates to 4.36 acres. As zoned, this private property could contain 23 homes.
3. While an application has not been submitted to the Town as of now, the developer is going through the pre-application process which includes a neighborhood citizen participation meeting that has taken place.
4. The current plan is a request for 23 homes. This is not a request for an up-zoning, but rather for a density transfer within the property. Moving building envelopes and setback lines is frequently done on individual lots with sensitive features, and is encouraged in our Hillside Ordinance, with the undeveloped land deed restricted so it can never be developed.
5. The developer is proposing to preserve 50 acres with the highest and most visible slopes (the sensitive land) not with a deed restriction, whereby the land still belongs to the property owner, but with an outright deeding of the land to the Town of Carefree for Open Space. This 50 acres would connect the two 25 acre parcels already owned by the Town, which would double the size of the Carefree Preserve. By connecting the two 25 acre parcels, the donated 50 acres would allow for continuous access between the existing Town parcels, rather than having two small islands. For those who envision a much larger Carefree Preserve, this connected 100 acres may serve as a catalyst in the foundation for a growing preserve.
6. With the density transfer requested (again, not a re-zoning, as the number of homes on the property would not increase), the smallest lot would be over 1 acre and the largest would be over 2 acres. Most of the lots would be platted at around 70,000 sq. ft. and up. An acre is 43,000 sq. ft. These are similar lots sizes to Ranchitos Del Rey, the development abutting this property. It is in no way a "high density" development being proposed.
7. I won't even address the first two FB posts. The final FB post above referenced the danger of wildfires. The existing water line to that area does not support fire hydrants. If approved, the developer would be required to install a water line that would support fire hydrants. The line would run through Ranchitos Del Rey, thereby giving them the added protection of fire hydrant capability. The same post talks about greed and destroying the desert. A developer had the right to build the house in which the poster lives, on private property, yet is seems he or she would deny this right to others.
This is neither an endorsement for approval or disapproval for this proposed density shift. My intention is to share facts related to this proposal that maybe overlooked by the rampant rumor mill. Armed with facts, you can draw a factually based conclusion.
Lyn Hitchon
Prepared by Carefree Truth
Visit our website at www.carefreetruth2.com If you know anyone who would like to be added to the Carefree Truth email list, please have them contact me. Feel free to share Carefree Truth with others on your list.
Visit www.carefreeazbusinesses.com to see more info about businesses in Carefree. Please support our merchants.