Carefree Truth
Issue #706, December 7, 2018
Planning Director Stacey Bridge-Denzak told the Council that the lengthy staff report in their packets included information about the application to rezone 5 parcels totaling approximately 27 gross acres on the N.E. corner (NEC) of Carefree Highway and Cave Creek Road from single family residential (R1-35) to Commercial (C), as well as extensive feedback from residents and HOA representatives of Provence, the affected neighboring residential development. The rezoning would permit a development of a new multi- tenant commercial center. A conceptual site plan was approved by the Development Review Board (DRB) contingent upon a rezoning approval by the Council. Final site plans will go before the DRB for approvals as tenants are determined.
This property is complicated because it is located in Carefree and is bordered by Cave Creek, and Scottsdale. Carefree Highway is considered a road of regional significance and Cave Creek Road is a major arterial road through Carefree.
Issue #706, December 7, 2018
Planning Director Stacey Bridge-Denzak told the Council that the lengthy staff report in their packets included information about the application to rezone 5 parcels totaling approximately 27 gross acres on the N.E. corner (NEC) of Carefree Highway and Cave Creek Road from single family residential (R1-35) to Commercial (C), as well as extensive feedback from residents and HOA representatives of Provence, the affected neighboring residential development. The rezoning would permit a development of a new multi- tenant commercial center. A conceptual site plan was approved by the Development Review Board (DRB) contingent upon a rezoning approval by the Council. Final site plans will go before the DRB for approvals as tenants are determined.
This property is complicated because it is located in Carefree and is bordered by Cave Creek, and Scottsdale. Carefree Highway is considered a road of regional significance and Cave Creek Road is a major arterial road through Carefree.
The property is heavily vegetated, and as much as is possible of that material will be salvaged and reused, which is required by the Town. The developer has submitted a plant inventory. 2 drainage ways cross the site. One is a 404 wash, regulated under the Clean Water Act by the Army Corps of Engineers (ACE). The request includes realigning the wash.
The site is designated as a Special Planning Area (SPA) in the General Plan (GP). SPA land use defines the following: A more sustainable residential or non-residential land use; provides for the preservation of the natural wash; establishment of an adequate open space buffer; provides an economically sustainable land use that would compliment the evolving commercial uses.
The wash, if approved for realignment by the ACE, would comply because it would still be maintained in a natural state and densely landscaped, rather than being contained in a constructed a concrete bed. Natural washes tend to have less control than managed storm water channelized washes, and are more predictable when engineered. A 50' open space densely landscaped buffer, using mature plants, has been established in the plan to buffer the adjacent residential community.
The site is designated as a Special Planning Area (SPA) in the General Plan (GP). SPA land use defines the following: A more sustainable residential or non-residential land use; provides for the preservation of the natural wash; establishment of an adequate open space buffer; provides an economically sustainable land use that would compliment the evolving commercial uses.
The wash, if approved for realignment by the ACE, would comply because it would still be maintained in a natural state and densely landscaped, rather than being contained in a constructed a concrete bed. Natural washes tend to have less control than managed storm water channelized washes, and are more predictable when engineered. A 50' open space densely landscaped buffer, using mature plants, has been established in the plan to buffer the adjacent residential community.
Most land uses in the vicinity of the site are heavily commercial now, with more commercial use planned directly across the street on the SE corner in Cave Creek, as well as along Carefree Highway and Cave Creek Road. Carefree has no control over development that takes place in the surrounding municipalities. Sustainability refers to the chances of a project's success. The proposed use is 155,000 square feet of office and retail, a decrease from the original proposal, and 870 parking spaces, close to but slightly over what is required by the Town.
Site access is defined by "full movement access" and "restricted movement access". Starting from the east on Carefree Highway, the first access point is a right in/right out restricted access. Towards the 56th Street alignment is a full access with a light. Continuing west is another full access with no light that will be controlled with signage. The first access point on Cave Creek Road is a right in/right out restricted access. Next, to the north, is a full access aligned with the entrance to the Lowe's across the street. This will be controlled with signage. The final access point to the north is a right in/right out that will only service the upper triangle of the development.
The development consists of 3 basic parts. The square piece to the east is about 10 acres. The next piece is on the hard corner. And the third piece is the triangle to the north, which is about 4 acres. Realignment of the wash would create a 150'-160' buffer as it wraps around the 10 acre parcel and continues across the property, exiting in a culvert under Cave Creek Road. While there will be more traffic than if it were a residential use, the traffic report stated that there will be no impact on how the intersection works.
Lighting will meet the Dark Skies lighting standards. Parking lot light poles will be no more than 16' high, with shielded and directed lights. Liberty Water will supply sewer. There is a potential for the Carefree Water Company to supply water, although it is currently under Cave Creek Water's purview. Rural/Metro will review the development plans to assure public safety.
The architectural style will be Southwest Modern, as is seen in many newer shopping centers, using natural materials and desert colors. There will be variations in the roof lines, shadowing on the walls, and a variety of materials and colors will be utilized on the elevations so it won't appear as one long elevation. There will be more formal landscaping closer to the buildings, with planters and nice pedestrian pavements. Rusted metal signage is proposed, to be more in harmony with the surroundings.
There was a neighborhood meeting held on August 29th, with over 25 attendees, not including Town staff and the applicants, after which a citizen participation report was filed. This has been a very involved and interactive process. Letters and emails from the applicants, the adjacent residents, and both of their legal representatives were included in the Council packets. Public notices included an ad placed in the Record Reporter, public posting of the agenda at Town Hall, 4 signs posted at the site, the agenda and the staff report posted on the Carefree website, and notification letters sent to property owners within a 500' radius of the subject parcel.
At a joint meeting of Planning & Zoning Commission (P&Z) and the DRB, P&Z recommended approval of the rezoning request, with numerous stipulations. The DRB approved the conceptual site plan, contingent on Council approval of the rezoning.
Key stipulations, typical of projects this size, included: compliance with submitted plans, images, and commercial design guidelines; use allowances, restrictions, and development agreements; development restrictions, specifically at the north "triangle"; wash design and culvert management; and the undergrounding of 12kV lines along Carefree Highway in front of the center and removal of a pole across the street.
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Lyn Hitchon
Prepared by Carefree Truth
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