By Adrienne St. Clair for Arizona Builder’s Exchange
Phoenix Country Club and Sunbelt Holdings have submitted a rezoning request to the City of Phoenix to build luxury residential condominiums on the NEC of 7th Street and Thomas Road.
The new development will have approximately 125 units at about 42 du/ac. There will be 234 unreserved parking spaces for residents.
The 2.94-acre site is currently zoned for and being used as a parking lot for the Phoenix Country Club. The developer requests the site be rezoned as Multifamily Residence District, High Rise and High-Density District in order to allow for multifamily high-rise condos reaching 164 feet and 15 stories. Phoenix Country Club made the request for the parking lot designation back in the ‘60s. They are now requesting to use the land differently.
The property is bordered on the north by a surface parking lot and single-family residential space. To the south of the property is office space and a former gas station. To the east is another surface parking lot, the Phoenix Country Club itself and more single-family residential living, and to the west is more office and commercial space.
A city staff report issued on September 4 states that a high-rise at the proposed location doesn’t comply with several principles of the General Plan Land Use Map. Some of the staff concerns include the fact that the site is not in a village core, a village center or in a corridor — like the Central Avenue Corridor — designated for greater height and intensity. The site doesn’t increase potential transit ridership. The report also maintains that the proposed density is incompatible with surrounding land uses.
The staff report includes a list of 18 stipulations that should be followed if the rezoning request is approved. One of the main stipulations is that the maximum building height should be adjusted downward to 60 feet.
The report also noted that the city received at least 20 letters of opposition from members of the community. The community concerns included many of the same items noted in the staff report.
The rezoning request was heard this month and is expected to be up for approval in October at the Phoenix Planning Commission meeting.