"Thomas Jefferson said a democracy is dependent on an informed citizenry. I don't care whether it sounds corny or not. It's the truth." -Jim Lehrer
Carefree Truth
Issue #973, December 21, 2021
Issue #973, December 21, 2021
Steve Prokopek asked if the Council members had any questions or comments. Councilman Stephen Hatcher asked if there were any other land use options considered for that property, such as retail, and how does a resort there affect Civana? Is there room for 2 such complexes? Also Lot #4 is pretty big. There's a lot of stuff on it, including an airplane, which affects the other homes looking at this area.
Mr. Prokopek explained that the existing property owner has created a walk-through mini museum, complete with paver paths, containing a lot of different exhibits. He has walked through it, as have many of the surrounding neighbors, and it is pretty interesting.
He reiterated that neighborhood retail, including a boutique grocery store like Trader Joe's, were considered, but were a "non-starter" for the neighbors, and would have a negative affect on the Bashas center. He further explained that destination areas work by having diversity.
The Town spoke with Civana about this topic. Civana assured them they have their own "brand" that competes with other wellness resorts, not with the Boulders or with the Hilton in downtown Carefree. They would also not view the proposed resort on that corner as competition for their clientele. Each provides a drastically different type of experience. The N.W. corner parcel is smaller than those of many other resorts in places like Paradise Valley. And looking at Paradise Valley, destination resorts tend to aggregate around one another. It is a great example of how they fit together and offer a variety of "stay" opportunities.
Mayor Les Peterson thanked Stacey, Steve, and Gary for their excellent presentations. There were two other aspects he wanted to put on the table. When the Town started this process in 2014, they talked to a lot of different municipalities, including Paradise Valley. They asked about Paradise Valley's mix of commercial vs. residential. Members of the Paradise Valley Council came up to Carefree and went through the area. There are 9 different resorts within Paradise Valley, each with their own "brand/niche" in the market. The Mayor felt that a Hermosa Inn style resort with a small restaurant would be a welcome addition to Carefree.
The Mayor's second point was that the total and acreage in Carefree that would be devoted to commercial, including the 4 parcels discussed in Mr. Prokopek's presentation, would comprise 2-1/2% of the 8,700 acres in Carefree.
He reiterated that neighborhood retail, including a boutique grocery store like Trader Joe's, were considered, but were a "non-starter" for the neighbors, and would have a negative affect on the Bashas center. He further explained that destination areas work by having diversity.
The Town spoke with Civana about this topic. Civana assured them they have their own "brand" that competes with other wellness resorts, not with the Boulders or with the Hilton in downtown Carefree. They would also not view the proposed resort on that corner as competition for their clientele. Each provides a drastically different type of experience. The N.W. corner parcel is smaller than those of many other resorts in places like Paradise Valley. And looking at Paradise Valley, destination resorts tend to aggregate around one another. It is a great example of how they fit together and offer a variety of "stay" opportunities.
Mayor Les Peterson thanked Stacey, Steve, and Gary for their excellent presentations. There were two other aspects he wanted to put on the table. When the Town started this process in 2014, they talked to a lot of different municipalities, including Paradise Valley. They asked about Paradise Valley's mix of commercial vs. residential. Members of the Paradise Valley Council came up to Carefree and went through the area. There are 9 different resorts within Paradise Valley, each with their own "brand/niche" in the market. The Mayor felt that a Hermosa Inn style resort with a small restaurant would be a welcome addition to Carefree.
The Mayor's second point was that the total and acreage in Carefree that would be devoted to commercial, including the 4 parcels discussed in Mr. Prokopek's presentation, would comprise 2-1/2% of the 8,700 acres in Carefree.
This is a miniscule percentage, 2-1/2% commercial vs. 97-1/2% residential. Most municipalities are running in the
4-1/2%-7% commercial or higher. Carefree is talking about high quality development that would enhance neighborhoods.
Mr. Hatcher asked how lighting would be addressed. He noted that the Council as a whole is pretty sensitive about that. Stacey Bridge-Denzak agreed and explained that Carefree is a "Dark Skies" friendly community. Any development on that property would have to go through the zoning process and would need to comply with Carefree's lighting requirements. The biggest source of area lighting is parking lots. Carefree has conservative parking lot lighting requirements, with a maximum height of 16', and shielded lights that direct the light down so as not to impact the surrounding properties.
Vice Mayor John Crane noted that traffic had been discussed. Access onto Whileaway Road was very clear. His question related to access onto Languid Lane when it said "residential only". Mr. Prokopek replied that it was a good question because the State has blurred the lines on residential, especially as it relates to short term rentals. In this case, it means residential homes used for residential purposes. Any overnight stays at a resort would not be considered residential. The permitted access to Languid Lane is included in the amendment in order to allow the flexibility for Lots #1 and 2 to potentially remain residential in the final project. It would remain with the entitlement that they have today.
The Vice Mayor next asked about height and massing. Mr. Prokopek replied that the types of zoning for commercial heights and massing would be utilized to minimize site disturbance towards the arterial intersection, where there is existing adjacent commercial building height, massing, and intensity of use. As it steps back from that area, towards the residential neighborhoods, massing would be scaled down to be more compatible with the existing neighborhood.
Vice Mayor Crane stressed that it is incumbent upon Carefree to make sure when Scottsdale is widening Carefree Highway that they are very cognizant of what could potentially go on this corner. He realized that Scottsdale was notified as part of the General Plan text amendment process, but he felt that it would be important to communicate with them during the road widening process too.
Councilman Tony Geiger said that Mr. Prokopek did a very good job of working with the neighbors to address their concerns and to put in a lot of protections for their views, serenity, homes, and lifestyle. But he asked how tight those protections are, and if a developer could find ways to get around them.
Mr. Prokopek assured him that these protections are tight. He took extra time at this meeting to go through the concerns and hot points in great detail that were expressed by the neighbors, as well as the steps taken to help mitigate those issues. This was done in order to ensure that it would all be video recorded on the public record, an advantage of using Zoom. He's had the same conversation with the Planning & Zoning Commission and the Town Council. A thorough knowledge base and record now exist about the intentions moving forward. "This starts at the staff level. If a developer coming in doesn't meet the requirements, they're probably not going to get much love from the staff, right out of the gate. So, we are the Gatekeepers. And again, this has to go through an extensive re-zoning process to get approval. And these neighbors are going to remember what was said on this particular night." Mr. Geiger thanked him.
There were no further questions from the Council.
https://vimeo.com/655531919
Lyn Hitchon
Prepared by Carefree Truth
Copyrighted
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.
4-1/2%-7% commercial or higher. Carefree is talking about high quality development that would enhance neighborhoods.
Mr. Hatcher asked how lighting would be addressed. He noted that the Council as a whole is pretty sensitive about that. Stacey Bridge-Denzak agreed and explained that Carefree is a "Dark Skies" friendly community. Any development on that property would have to go through the zoning process and would need to comply with Carefree's lighting requirements. The biggest source of area lighting is parking lots. Carefree has conservative parking lot lighting requirements, with a maximum height of 16', and shielded lights that direct the light down so as not to impact the surrounding properties.
Vice Mayor John Crane noted that traffic had been discussed. Access onto Whileaway Road was very clear. His question related to access onto Languid Lane when it said "residential only". Mr. Prokopek replied that it was a good question because the State has blurred the lines on residential, especially as it relates to short term rentals. In this case, it means residential homes used for residential purposes. Any overnight stays at a resort would not be considered residential. The permitted access to Languid Lane is included in the amendment in order to allow the flexibility for Lots #1 and 2 to potentially remain residential in the final project. It would remain with the entitlement that they have today.
The Vice Mayor next asked about height and massing. Mr. Prokopek replied that the types of zoning for commercial heights and massing would be utilized to minimize site disturbance towards the arterial intersection, where there is existing adjacent commercial building height, massing, and intensity of use. As it steps back from that area, towards the residential neighborhoods, massing would be scaled down to be more compatible with the existing neighborhood.
Vice Mayor Crane stressed that it is incumbent upon Carefree to make sure when Scottsdale is widening Carefree Highway that they are very cognizant of what could potentially go on this corner. He realized that Scottsdale was notified as part of the General Plan text amendment process, but he felt that it would be important to communicate with them during the road widening process too.
Councilman Tony Geiger said that Mr. Prokopek did a very good job of working with the neighbors to address their concerns and to put in a lot of protections for their views, serenity, homes, and lifestyle. But he asked how tight those protections are, and if a developer could find ways to get around them.
Mr. Prokopek assured him that these protections are tight. He took extra time at this meeting to go through the concerns and hot points in great detail that were expressed by the neighbors, as well as the steps taken to help mitigate those issues. This was done in order to ensure that it would all be video recorded on the public record, an advantage of using Zoom. He's had the same conversation with the Planning & Zoning Commission and the Town Council. A thorough knowledge base and record now exist about the intentions moving forward. "This starts at the staff level. If a developer coming in doesn't meet the requirements, they're probably not going to get much love from the staff, right out of the gate. So, we are the Gatekeepers. And again, this has to go through an extensive re-zoning process to get approval. And these neighbors are going to remember what was said on this particular night." Mr. Geiger thanked him.
There were no further questions from the Council.
https://vimeo.com/655531919
Lyn Hitchon
Prepared by Carefree Truth
Copyrighted
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.