By Roland Murphy for AZBEX
The Bullhead City Planning and Zoning Commission has recommended limited approval of a conceptual plan that will, if built, lead to a 246-acre CityCentre District that will create a residential and retail mixed-use area and a residential park in the center of the city.
Developer Mantle Investments is requesting a planned area development that will feature a main street concept and up to 12 development units with five zoning districts, according to City staff. Planned uses in CityCentre include multifamily apartments, Build-to-Rent units, an RV park, a senior campus, storage and a commercial area. Plans are currently conceptual and are expected to evolve over time, according to representatives and City staff.
The 246-acre site is part of a greater 268-acre parcel that also includes the Exceptional Community Hospital that opened in November of last year.
In last week’s hearing, the Commission was asked to recommend approval of the conceptual plan. Requests for land use changes and rezoning will come later, as will expanded details like the potential residential unit counts and overall build area.
The conceptual plan request included acknowledgement of several exceptions to existing land use provisions including building heights, setbacks and other issues.
In presenting the plan, project representatives told the Commission the developer is aware of the disruptive nature of the proposal saying, “We understand the implications. We understand that this is more than just a random development. We know there are long-term implications, that this is a very important project, and we take that very seriously.” By the development team’s estimates, CityCentre is one of the largest planned developments in northwest Arizona or southern Clark County, Nev.
According to the project narrative, “CityCentre District aspires to become a true community destination—not just a place to work or shop, but a hub for activities such as dining at family-owned restaurants, boutique fitness classes, social gatherings at local breweries and browsing a farmers’ market, to name a few. Our goal is to create an environment that brings the community together year-round.”
The narrative details several of the development’s project goals and design objectives, including:
- Walkability and pedestrian accommodation,
- Mixed development units to serve a variety of market needs,
- Public space and amenity enhancements,
- Circulation that is compatible with the overall area and the transportation network, and
- Integration of culture, historic elements and visual arts.
The presentation focused on the plan details and benefits and highlighted the efforts the developer has considered to mitigate potential negative impacts, including a variety of traffic management measures and parking considerations.
Several members of the Commission, including Chair Pamela Smith, expressed concerns about the number of modifications to existing land use plans that would be required for the planned area development. “I understand that if we approve the conceptual plan you’re not locked into the modifications,” she said, “but in reality, it’s going to come back to us with all these modifications and more and it’s going to be, ‘Well, you already approved the conceptual plan and this is really no different.’ That concerns me.”
In discussions leading up to the motion, Smith returned to her concerns about the exceptions and said, “I’ve got some real issues with all of the exceptions. My concern is if we say, even though I understand completely that these things will come back to us and we could say, ‘No. Go blow sand,’ at that point, they’re going to be developing their project based on assuming all of these exceptions are accepted if we pass it and then Council passes it.”
Smith eventually offered a motion that would approve the conceptual plan on its base but require all exceptions to be presented individually for each parcel as the plan moves forward later. The motion was carried with votes by all five members present.
The developer is Mantle Investments, LP. The development team also lists several stakeholders: BG Development Company, QNC Group, CenterPointe Development, Century Complete, EHC Healthcare and Haan Development. The civil engineer is Anderson-Nelson, Inc. Land planning is through McGough Adamson. CivTech Inc. is the traffic engineer. The project representative is Berens Blonstein PLC, which has also enlisted Sanks and Associates LLC as an entitlements consultant.
