By Roland Murphy for AZBEX – BEXclusive
The Bullhead City Planning and Zoning Commission has voted 6-0 in favor of a zoning map change that would allow for the development of an approximately 18.7-acre parcel into a travel-centric mixed-use project with hotels, condos, self-storage, fuel services and restaurant outlets.
The site is currently zoned Public Lands and had been held under Arizona State Land ownership until 2022 when it was purchased by real estate acquisition and development preparation firm Legacy Commercial Real Estate LLC. The zoning change is required for the land to be developed, and developer Anthem Oil (Anthem Estates LLC) has requested rezoning to Mixed-Use with General Commercial and Multifamily uses.
The property is split by Highway 95, with 8.5 acres on the east side and 10.2 acres on the west. According to the project description, the development will create three site areas. On the west side of Hwy. 95 will be two hotels, a condominium tower and two restaurant pads. Maximum building heights for this portion will be 60 feet/five stories. The second and third sites to the east will have maximum heights of 35 feet and will consist of a large gas station and convenience store, a two-story storage building, a restaurant pad and a retail pad. All three restaurant pads are planned as fast food locations with drive-thru and onsite dining options.
According to the submitted site plan, uses on the property will break down as follows:
- Two hotels with 119 rooms each,
- A condominium/multifamily tower with 38 one-bedroom and 22 two-bedroom units,
- A self-storage facility of 27KSF,
- A 12KSF gas station/convenience store,
- Three fast food outlets ranging from 2.5KSF to 4KSF,
- 7KSF of retail space.
The total build area is estimated at 244,550KSF.
The submitted overview from design firm SMS Architects notes the larger site between Hwy. 95 and the Colorado River—known as the River Resort Site—will be home to the two hotels. Planned features of the hotel offerings will be river views, river access and a boardwalk connecting the hotels to the condo tower and adjacent park space. A water taxi dock will also be provided. Each hotel will have its own fenced pool area and porte cochere entrance.
The condominium section will have river views, its own enclosed pool area and on-grade parking consisting primarily of covered carports. Two of the fast food restaurants and a dock fueling station for “water recreational vehicles” will also be located on this portion.
The convenience store/gas station area will have a fast food restaurant/drive-thru area inside the store and the 7KSF multi-tenant retail shop.
The development will also change road access in the area. Hwy. 95 access to and from Merrill Avenue and Rio Ranch Blvd. will be removed. New rights of way to be named Anthem Drive and Dharma Drive will be dedicated, and a new signalized intersection will be installed at Hwy. 95 and Anthem Drive. The roadway improvements will be managed under a separate agreement with the developer.
During the public comments at the Jan. 4 hearing, statements of concern and opposition included worries about traffic impacts, potential drainage impacts for existing developments, and concerns about the impacts of increasing development on Bullhead City’s character.
Bullhead City is in the process of taking over management of Hwy. 95 from the Arizona Department of Transportation but is adhering to ADOT standards for projects and development, according to statements from commissioners and planning staff. The commissioners and staff also explained the planned development will not resolve all of the area’s existing drainage issues, but it may address some and will not exacerbate others.
Regarding the issue of progress and changes to area character, Commissioner Gary Genovese—who first moved to Bullhead City in 1981—advised residents to maintain a sense of perspective. “I have seen a full measure of growth throughout the city,” he said. “For a number of people, they dislike progress, but, unfortunately, progress is part of our persona and it must be dealt with. These projects are going to come and go. We’ve had consternation on subject matter over the years, and when you ask somebody about something that happened several years ago, they say, ‘Oh. I kind of even forgot about it…’”
He concluded by saying, “At some point in time, like now, it’s a hardcore proposition, but we all adapt. We get used to it. We may not like it 100%, but we cannot put progress on hold for several reasons. It’s just the way it is.”
