By Roland Murphy for AZBEX
The Phoenix Planning Commission will hear requests for a 344-unit apartment community in far north Phoenix south of 29th Avenue and Dove Valley Road at its Nov. 7 meeting. The site is located approximately two miles from the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company’s facility west of 43rd Avenue.
A rezoning site plan was submitted by Norris Design. The property owners are North Gateway Core Acreage Investors LLC / Hare Investments LLC, and Trumont Group is the developer.
The 20-acre site is located in the North Black Canyon Overlay District and is surrounded by vacant land with various zonings. The owners are requesting rezoning from Planned Community District and Flood Hazard and Erosion Management District to C-2 Intermediate Commercial and Flood Hazard and Erosion Management District. The Intermediate Commercial portion is roughly 12 acres split by the flood hazard-zoned portion. The 8.61-acre eastern portion of the requested commercially zoned space makes up the location for the planned North Gateway Village multifamily community.
Plans call for seven buildings with heights of four stories/48 feet. There will be a central amenity court, as well as a second amenity area at the SWC of the parcel with a fitness center, a pool and two separate recreation areas near the facility leasing office. There will also be a small turf amenity area at the NWC of the site.
A total of 519 parking spaces will be provided. Most parking will be in surface spaces, but approximately 59 are planned in garages.
The multifamily side of the parcel sits to the east of Skunk Creek Wash. A separate development is expected on the 3.2-acre portion west of the wash, but no plans have been submitted yet. The rezoning site plan notes it could be used for future commercial purposes or for up to another 381 units of multifamily.
For flood control and management purposes, Skunk Creek Wash and its immediate surrounding area will run undisturbed between the east and west development portions. Stipulations to the plan include a multi-use trail on the west side of the wash and a shared-use path on the east side. The wash area will also serve as a natural amenity.
The proposal will create a detached sidewalk along the future 29th Avenue, “with enhanced shading and planting standards for landscape setbacks, pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure and surface parking lot areas,” according to the Phoenix staff report.
Two walkways are planned to connect from the public sidewalk on the east and go across the site to connect to the shared-use path on the west.
The staff report says the location is within the boundaries of the Maricopa Association of Governments’ North Black Canyon Major Employment Center, “generally bounded by Carefree Highway to the north, Paloma Parkway to the east, Dixileta Drive to the south, and the I-17 freeway to the west.” The City of Phoenix has also identified the area as the “North Black Canyon employment center, which has the same general boundaries, and extends further south to Happy Valley Road.”
The report states the proposal will still allow for the commercial purposes permitted within the zoning, consistent with the character of the employment center. “Additionally,” it says, “the residential proposal will support current and future employment within the employment center and will help to reduce employee commute times to employment sites.”
While portions of the planned area are inconsistent with the Phoenix General Plan land uses, a minor General Plan amendment will not be required since they are smaller than 10 acres.
