After extensive discussions about a requested deviation from standards for two-car garages, the Mesa City Council was eventually persuaded to approve plans from owner 5228 S. Blackstone LLC for a 29-unit townhome development on 3.7 acres on 90th Street north of Broadway Road.
Sienna Ridge Townhomes is an infill development targeted toward young families and middle-income earners and is intended to satisfy some of the need for middle housing in Mesa.
The development features five two-story attached buildings and 11 freestanding units. Planned amenities include a pool, a “tot lot” and open space.
Mesa regulations require two-car garages to be 20 feet wide by 22 feet long. The developer requested a change to 19 feet by 20 feet to conserve space.
Several Councilmembers questioned the change and expressed concerns parking for oversized vehicles could overflow onto neighborhood streets.
Project representatives from Iplan Consulting explained that without the variance, the living space would be negatively impacted, as would landscape setbacks and overall density.
The larger garage would mean the dining room and kitchen in the first floor floorplan would be too small. If the unit count were reduced to accommodate the larger garage and increase the overall size, the project would not be economically viable for the development, representatives said.
They also explained the plan calls for 17 guest parking spaces that could be used by the comparatively small number of tenants who would own vehicles too large to fit the garage spaces. Including the garages, the site will have a total of 75 parking spaces.
City staff and the Planning and Zoning Board had expressed support for the smaller garage size. The smaller garages had also been included in the planned area development overlay previously approved by Council. (Source)
