By Roland Murphy for AZBEX
At the request of developer Banyan Residential, the Apache Junction Planning and Zoning Commission continued a hearing scheduled for April 28 and moved it to May.
The hearing had been scheduled to discuss a set of requested condition changes and rezoning for a proposed 146-unit affordable housing multifamily development on roughly seven acres near the SEC of North Rennick Drive and West Virginia Street.
The Banyan Rennick & Virginia site had previously been zoned High Density Multiple-Family Residential for a development called The Enclave on Rennick that never took place. Banyan has evaluated the site for its planned project and is requesting approval of a new development with modified site plans and architecture, according to the submitted narrative.
The staff report notes the underlying zoning would remain the same, but the zoning designation would be changed to High Density Multiple-Family Residential by Planned Development. Banyan is also requesting a 66-space reduction in the required parking, for a total of 248 spaces.
According to the proposed site plan, the development will feature five two-story residential buildings and a separate 3.3KSF clubhouse. The clubhouse building will serve as the primary amenity space, according to the narrative, and will house the leasing office, fitness area, pool and spa, cabanas and other features.
The narrative and other materials list the maximum building height at 27 feet, and the development will feature floor plans ranging from one to four bedrooms.
As a workforce-focused development, Banyan plans to target rents for families earning 60% of the Area Median Income. The project will use Low-Income Housing Tax Credits to offset the costs.
Banyan points out in the narrative it usually retains its projects for approximately 10 years and says, “Banyan operates its projects by hiring a third-party general contractor and property management team. Using experienced third-party construction and property management teams with long track records in regulated affordable housing ensures higher build quality, stronger oversight, and long-term neighborhood stewardship than a newly created in-house operation. This long-term commitment results in a higher investment both in the initial build quality of the project, but also in the long-term maintenance, which benefits Banyan, the residents, and the City.”
A neighborhood meeting was held in January to discuss the project. According to the report, the six residents who attended were generally supportive of the plan and strongly favored development of the currently vacant lot, as it has become a nuisance point.
Banyan Residential is the owner, with design services by Kephart. Snell & Wilmer is the law firm representing the development.
The hearing is now scheduled for May 26.
