By Roland Murphy for AZBEX
In its April 28 meeting, the Tempe Development Review Commission recommended approval for a series of amendments that will enable a major new multifamily development at 1600 N. Priest Dr. in the Papago Park Center.
If ultimately approved, the requests for Legend City District at Papago Park Center will amend the General Plan land use and residential density map from Commercial to Mixed-Use High with up to 65 units/acre, rezone the 19-acre site from General Industrial District Planned Area Development to (Mixed-Use) MU-4 PAD, and amend the PAD for Papago Park Center.
The 300-acre Papago Park Center is owned by Papago Park Center, Inc., which is a subsidiary of Salt River Project Agricultural Improvement and Power District. No developer is identified in the DRC submittal, but the applicant is Kendle Design Collaborative.
According to the submitted letter of explanation, the current Commercial designation was intended for warehouse, manufacturing and shipping/logistics uses, which create heavy truck traffic volumes and restricts both pedestrian activities and single-use development.
By contrast, the requested mixed-use proposal offers the potential for residential, live/work and supporting amenities in “a compact urban form.” Notably, the planned site is located slightly north of Washington Street and the light rail, adding to its desirability as a live/work area.
The proposed development is intended to create a more positive use for the location and integrate open space and internal pedestrian circulation, “resulting in more efficient land utilization and improved compatibility with surrounding office, residential, and mixed-use development within Papago Park Center.”
Surrounding uses within a half-mile radius include office, multifamily, public transportation, recreational amenities and limited retail. The proposal argues a high-density multifamily development is a more compatible use for the property than a commercial/industrial development would be. “The project contributes to a complete neighborhood environment that supports daily living needs,” according to the letter.
The site plan submitted April 6 details plans for 1,014 units ranging from studio to three-bedrooms and including 18 live-work units. The staff report for the April 28 meeting shows 1,032. Comparing the two shows changes were made in the one-, two- and three-bedroom unit counts. The current mix, per the staff report, shows:
- 87 studios,
- 443 one-bedroom,
- 369 two-bedroom,
- 115 three-bedroom and
- 18 live-work units.
The staff report had not been updated to reflect the new unit totals for each planned building. According to the original 1,014-unit division, Building 1 would be 240 units; Building 2 would be 279 units; Building 3 would be 199 units, and Building 4 would be 296 units.
Each building will have an internal five-level parking garage, as well as a private courtyard, pool, clubhouse, fitness and amenity area. Construction is planned in four phases.
According to the staff report, the project has had three preliminary site plan reviews so far. It also says, “An application for the Major Development Plan Review will be reviewed by staff contingent upon the outcome of this entitlement request.”
A neighborhood meeting was scheduled in February to discuss the plan with area residents. Representatives from SRP, Kendle Design Collaborative, the law firm of Gammage & Burham and The City of Tempe Community Development Department were on hand to present the project and answer questions, but no one from the community attended.
