By BEX Staff for AZBEX
Skyline Towns, a proposed 100-unit gated townhome community, was recommended for approval by the Apache Junction Planning and Zoning Commission during its July 22 meeting.
The proposed townhome development, located on a 9.4-acre site at the NWC of Winchester Road and Junction Street, is set to include five three-plex and 17 five-plex buildings.
The site plan lists Bela Flor Communities as the developer, while Reese Anderson of Pew & Lake is providing legal representation. EPS Group, Inc. is listed as the civil engineer, landscape architect and planner.
Each building will be two stories, with a maximum height of 26 feet, six inches. Two- and three-bedroom units are planned.
Amenities include a clubhouse, pool, spa, multiple pickleball courts, a picnic area with a ramada and BBQ grills, a “tot lot”, green areas and a dog park.
Plans also call for a six-foot bike lane, a sidewalk and two multi-use trails—one along Junction Street and the other along Winchester Road.
According to project documents, there will be 70 guest parking spaces, 39 driveway spaces, 161 garage spaces and eight accessible spaces. This accounts for a grand total of 270 spaces.
A gated entrance will be installed on Junction Street. An exit-only access point is to be installed off Winchester Road.
Designs are described as utilizing Spanish architectural styles with decorative shutters, Spanish archways, vida tiles and red clay roof tiles.
The development is planned within the downtown corridor. The land is currently zoned City Center and General Rural Low Density Single-Family Detached Residential. The staff report indicates developers intend to rezone the site to High Density Multiple-Family Residential by Planned Development.
Directly to the north sits land zoned rural residential and high-density residential. To the east is land zoned high-density residential. The west contains land zoned for commercial uses.
City Council is next in line to review the project. A work session will be held on Aug. 4, while a public hearing is slated for Sept. 2. If Council approves, there will be a 30-day waiting period. After the waiting period, construction will be able to commence.
Local Response, Support and Concerns
A neighborhood meeting was held on June 9 regarding the proposal. Two residents came to the meeting and showed support for the development.
Residents with concerns did, however, attend the public hearing. Concerns were levied surrounding neighborhood character, traffic and the urbanization of the rural town.
Commissioner Kalan was the only commissioner against the approval of the development, saying the City should be more careful with what it selects to build. Other commissioners argued that a rental townhome development was a good fit for the downtown area.
