By Roland Murphy for AZBEX – BEXclusive
The City of Phoenix wants to rezone multiple vacant properties in two areas of the city as the first step in ultimately developing new housing in both areas. Both requests will go before their respective Village Planning Committees next week before advancing to the Planning Commission on Sept. 4.
Maryvale – 35th & McDowell
The first request deals with six individual parcels (Parcels A-F) and two clusters of parcels (Parcels G and H) north and south of McDowell Road between 31st and 35th avenues. The staff report refers to the properties as, “Generally located between 31st Avenue to 35th Avenue, and Holly Street to the I-10 Freeway.”
One of the stated goals for the rezoning is to “facilitate the creation of housing opportunities within a quarter to a half mile from a planned light rail station (35th Ave / Interstate 10) and a planned Bus Rapid Transit station (35th Avenue / McDowell Road).”
The light rail station is part of the I-10 West Extension, and the Bus Rapid Transit station is included in the T2050 Bus Rapid Transit 1st Corridor (35th Avenue/Van Buren Street).
The eight parcels total 7.6 acres and are currently zoned R1-6 Single-Family Residence District. The request would rezone the properties under various transects of Walkable Urban Code zoning. Specifically, 1.41 acres would be zoned WU Code T3:2 (Walkable Urban Code, Transect 3:2 District), 3.52 acres would be WU Code T4:3 (Walkable Urban Code, Transect 4:3 District), and 2.67 acres would be WU Code T5:3 (Walkable Urban Code, Transect 5:3 District).
Parcels A-F, the Transect 3:2 District properties, would eventually be developed as single-family. Under the General Plan Land Use Map guidelines, single-family detached, single-family attached and duplex developments are allowed.
Parcel G would be granted Transect 4:3 District zoning, while Parcel H would be Transect 5:3 District. Regarding the General Plan Land Use Map, the staff report says, “Parcels G and H are designated as Residential 10 to 15 dwelling units per acre. The proposal for the Walkable Urban Code, which is silent on density, is not consistent with the designation, however, it is consistent with the ‘higher-density attached housing, multifamily condominiums or apartments’ housing type that the designation is categorized under in the General Plan.”
Most of the parcels’ surrounding land uses are single-family residential, although there are a smattering of multifamily residential, commercial/retail and public land uses included in the mix.
There are no development plans in place for the properties yet. Once the rezoning is approved and in place the City will release a request for proposals outlining its requirements for the sites’ redevelopment. “…once a successful candidate has been selected and the preliminary site plan and elevations have been created, the plans will be presented to the Maryvale Village Planning Committee for review and comment prior to preliminary site plan approval for sites zoned T4:3 and T5:3.”
The rezoning request is on the Maryvale Village Planning Committee’s Aug. 13 agenda.
Broadway and Central
The second property Phoenix is seeking to rezone is a 5.53-acre vacant site at the SEC of Broadway Road and Central Avenue in the South Mountain Village area.
The site is currently covered by four separate zoning categories that cover multifamily residential, commercial, retail and parking lot uses. The City wants to rezone it for mixed-use residential, specifically, “WU Code T5:6 SPVTABDO (Walkable Urban Code, Transect 5:6 District, South Phoenix Village and Target Area B Design Overlay).”
According to the staff report, “The site is located within the South Central Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Community Plan area and adjacent to the Broadway Road light rail station. The proposed intensity is appropriate at this location, given the proximity to high-capacity transit, and is consistent with the adopted TOD policy plan.”
Surrounding uses include commercial, office, a bank, and both single- and multifamily residential.
There are no specific development plans in place for this property either. As with the other request, “Once the site is rezoned, the City of Phoenix will issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) that will enable the site to be redeveloped in accordance with the Walkable Urban Code zoning district standards and supporting stipulations.”
This request is scheduled to go before the South Mountain Village Planning Committee Aug. 12.
Staff has recommended approval with standard stipulations for both rezoning requests.
On the job
Residential Redevelopment of Parcels G and H, Phoenix
Volume: 6.19 acres
Owner/Developer: City of Phoenix/Not yet selected
Design Firm: Not yet selected
GC: Not yet selected
Project ID: 7407
On the job
Residential Mixed-Use at Broadway and Central, Phoenix
Volume: 5.53 acres
Owner/Developer: City of Phoenix/Not yet selected
Design Firm: Not yet selected
GC: Not yet selected
Project ID: 7408
IN THE DATABASE
West Phoenix Light Rail Extension: #5880
T2050 Bus Rapid Transit 1st Corridor (35th Avenue/Van Buren Street): #3378