By Roland Murphy for AZBEX
The City of San Luis Planning and Zoning Commission voted to recommend approval of a minor General Plan amendment and rezoning for Colibri Townhomes, a proposed 62-unit single-family attached residential plan on 6.71 acres on County 24th Street east of South Avenue E.
The requests from local area developer Riedel Holdings LLC covered changing the five-parcel site’s land use from Commercial to Medium-Density Residential and the zoning from Community Commercial (C-2) to Medium-High Density Residential (R-2).
The parcels are located at 4702, 4740, 4766, 4790 & 4810 County 24th Street, in San Luis and are part of the Plaza Colibri Commercial Subdivision.
Surrounding uses consist of a residential and townhome development to the north, a gym to the west, vacant private land to the south and a self-storage facility to the west.
The April 14 meeting featured a brief presentation by City staff to discuss the proposal. Staff reported sending out 71 letters about the project to area residents and holding a neighborhood meeting. No members of the public attended the meeting, and staff received only one response from a resident who said he preferred keeping the site commercial.
No members of the public spoke about the plan during the meeting.
The submitted site plan shows the primary entrance will be off County 24th Street. The property then opens up to an internal T intersection with duplex units to the north and south.
The site plan also provides a planned unit mix of 30 two-bedroom and 32 three-bedroom homes. Each townhome is depicted with a private driveway and individual front and back yard spaces. Open space comprises 1.56 acres, or 23%, of the overall site. Plans also show canopies at each of the property’s four corners.
Staff recommended approval of the requests, subject to standard conditions. One of those conditions is the establishment of a homeowners’ association to oversee standards and upkeep. Depending on when or if the requests are approved by the San Luis City Council and acted upon by the developer, that condition could run afoul of a bill currently under consideration by the Arizona Legislature.
Senate Bill 1431 seeks to limit municipalities’ ability to impose localized design standards for new residential developments and would also prohibit them from requiring developers to establish HOAs as a condition of approval for their projects. Supporters of the bill hope it will improve affordability by accelerating the housing project approval process. Opponents fear it will reduce local autonomy and reduce the value of existing properties.
SB 1431 passed the Arizona Senate in March and was passed in the House Committee of the Whole on April 14. It will now proceed for a final vote and, if passed, be presented to Gov. Katie Hobbs for approval or veto.
Riedel Holdings is the project owner. The engineering and planning firm is Edais Engineering, Inc., which also served as the project representative for the submittals.
The requests will now advance to the City Council for final consideration.
