By Roland Murphy for AZBEX – BEXclusive
A new 75-unit apartment development could be on the way in the Biltmore area of Phoenix.
4401 Turney Villas LLC, which traces to the Cranmer Family Decedent’s Trust, has a hearing scheduled this week before the Camelback East Village Planning Committee to consider a request to rezone the 1.82-acre site at the NEC of Turney Avenue and 21st Street from R-3 multifamily to R-5 multifamily.
The planned unit mix for the Turney Villas Apartments calls for 10 studios, 23 one-bedrooms and 42 seven two-bedroom apartments. The maximum building height would be four stories at 48 feet. The planned development would have 15% lot coverage, though up to 50% would be allowed under the zoning. The maximum density would be 43.5 units/acre, while the planned development would deliver 41.21. Planned open space is 5.26%, meeting the 5% requirement for the property.
Planned enhancements include an outdoor amenity area, a pool, a clubhouse and a gym. The total planned parking is 96 spaces, with secured bicycle parking in both the residential building and the northeast parking lot.
The proposal would require several variances or site plan modifications under the subdivision development option. Minimum building and landscape setbacks of 20 and 10 feet are required on the west and south sides of the parcel, while the submittal asks for 10 feet and nine feet, respectively. The proposed 96 parking spaces are also 17 fewer than the allowed minimum.
The surrounding area is already populated with similarly zoned multifamily communities to the north (R-3), south (R-5) and west (R-5), according to the City of Phoenix staff report. The proposal is not consistent with the site’s General Plan Land Use Map Designation, but a General Plan Amendment will not be required since the site is smaller than 10 acres.
According to the staff report, “A detached sidewalk along Turney Avenue and an attached sidewalk along 21st Street will provide pedestrian connections to the adjacent residential developments in the area. The sidewalks will include trees for shade coverage. Due to the need to seek variances for the patio projections within the building and landscape setbacks along 21st and Turney Avenue and a reduction in parking, staff does not recommend general conformance to the site plan.”
Staff has determined the proposal to be appropriate for the location and has found that it will enhance the general area while providing additional housing.
A total of 19 stipulations have been recommended, many of which deal with creating an enhanced pedestrian environment and accommodations for multimodal travel. These include landscaping and placement requirements for the sidewalks; bicycle parking spaces of at least one for every four units, with a minimum of three bicycle spaces equipped with electric bicycle charging capabilities, and an on-site bicycle repair station.
The proposal is scheduled to go before the Camelback East Village Planning Committee on Aug. 6 and the Phoenix Planning and Zoning Commission Sept. 5.
Cranmer Family Decedent’s Trust is the owner. The design firm is Kenzy Architecture & Interiors. The project is represented by Gammage & Burnham, PLC.
