Carefree Truth

                              Issue #448, December 18, 2015

 

 

 

Keystone Homes co-owner Rich Eneim complimented Planning Director Stacey Bridge-Denzak for her through overview of the proposed project.  He said Keystone Homes is a small family owned local builder that has been building communities in the Valley for 26 years.  Because they build only 1-2 projects at a time, it allows them to focus highly on each community.  Keystone works with the best caliber of housing professionals in the industry, rare for a company of their size.  Their team of architects, land planners, landscape architects, engineers, etc., have been working on Eastwood for 10-11 months.  The team applies all its resources to each community.  

 

 

 

Part of the Keystone culture is working closely with municipalities.  They have looked to Carefree staff members for input during the many meetings, and have incorporated the requirements and suggestions into the Eastwood project.  He thanked Gary Neiss and Stacey Bridge-Denzak, who were utilized by the whole team.

 

 

 

When approaching a new community, Keystone identifies a need so they can design the project appropriately.  They heard from many sources that "downsizers" who love the area needed new options if they wanted to stay in Carefree.  They were unable to find a nice new home with the features they wanted, and were compelled to move south.  They were looking for ease of maintenance, a great location with views, and proximity to shopping.  

 

 

 

He felt that Eastwood made perfect sense for this property, providing a transitional piece between two distinctly different zoning districts.  The team is committed to making Eastwood an outstanding community that will be an asset to Carefree immediately and in the coming years. 

 

 

 

Mayor Les Peterson said many residents have expressed to the Town that they are reaching an age where the size of their home and lot are becoming difficult to manage.  They are looking for quality single story housing in Carefree, close to the downtown area.  This has been a consistent thread.   

 

 

 

Councilman Mike Farrar thanked Mr. Eneim for being a good neighbor, working with the neighbors who objected, and accommodating their concerns.  Mr. Eneim thanked the Sky Ranch HOA board for very fruitful meetings, saying it had produced good results and improved the project.

 

 

 

Vice Mayor John Crane said Sky Ranch had concerns about new residents in Eastwood being unaware of the airport and complaining about noise, asking how Keystone planned to address that.  Mr. Eneim replied that there would be a 4 pronged approach.  It would be in a public report, it would be a separate paragraph in the purchase contract that would require initialing by the buyers, an aerial graphic showing the airport would be displayed in the sales office, and it would be noted on the final plat plan.  The Vice Mayor felt the conclusions of the traffic study were of interest, and asked Mr. Eniem to state them.  Mr. Eniem said the traffic study concluded that there would be less traffic generated by the 39 homes in Eastwood than would be generated by the Garden Office complex and the 2 single family custom homes for which the property was presently zoned.  Looking towards build-out, Mayor Peterson added that a traffic study conducted several years ago concluded that section of Cave Creek Road was sufficient to handle traffic for the next 30 years.

 

https://vimeo.com/user18676056/review/148739125/aa7c58b36d

 

 

 

Mayor Peterson opened the meeting to public discussion, asking speakers to please be respectful and to be mindful of the 3 minute limit.  The first speaker expressed concerns about the density and felt there was insufficient open space for the wildlife.  He was also concerned that the project would set a precedent for future high density housing.  The second speaker had looked at Almarte and felt that small housing didn't belong in Carefree.  The third speaker questioned an RUDP being allowed on slightly less than 10 acres, the density, and the lack of open space. 

 

 

 

The forth speaker owned an office condominium in Pima Norte.  She was quite upset that her views would be blocked by the houses, and had pictures of her current view put up on the screen, saying this was why she chose to locate in Pima Norte.  She was also concerned about increased traffic on Stagecoach Pass, saying that it is already dangerous and would be made more so, requiring a 4 way stop or a traffic light.  She was worried that drainage and flooding would be a problem, and that there would be complaints from the homeowners about the noise from the airport.  She thought the houses would be bought by people with small children and nannies, and said it would be expensive for the Town to install sidewalks all the way into the downtown so the nannies could walk there with the children.  She also expressed concern that the noise made by small children playing would disrupt the tranquility of her office, and again mentioned the impact on her views.  The owner of the Pima Norte office strip mall was the sixth speaker.  He was also concerned that people with small children would be the home buyers, and that 10' backyards would place noisy playing children too close to the offices, disturbing the businesses.

 

 

 

The fifth speaker was the president of the Sky Ranch HOA which had objected to the proposed development.  He said the HOA board had felt it was important to represent the concerns of their residents about the density.  They met with the developer and agreed on some compromises to mitigate the concerns, such as increased setbacks and landscaping to buffer the project and make it stand out less.  He thanked the Keystone people for working with them.  He asked that the Town be "stiff" in requiring buffers such as these, calling the Planning and Zoning (P&Z) Commission insensitive.

 

 

 

The seventh speaker, a resident of Sky Ranch, questioned the 24' height restriction in the RUPD, saying that Keystone had committed to a maximum height of 20' at the P&Z meeting.  Rich Eneim said they didn't have the plans in front of them when they made that guess as to heights being 20'-22', which is 2' lower than allowed in the RUPD.  Mayor Peterson asked what percentage of homes would be 22'.  Mr. Eneim said there are 6 elevations, and read off the heights of each, saying the highest parts of the single story homes were the "tower" features, which are only a small part of the roof line.  (The elevations slide can be seen at 14 minutes on the video.)The heights at their highest points are as follows: 21'5", 20'9", 21'4", 22', 20'5".  Councilman Glenn Miller noted that they had the option to go as high as 24', the maximum allowed for residential single family homes in all zoning districts.

 

 

 

The eighth speaker was a Realtor at Desert Mountain.  She said that many of her clients have expressed the need to downsize, but there are no opportunities available that would allow them to stay in the northern area, which will be losing many wonderful community minded people.  There is a real need, and this project would suit their needs quite well.

 

 

 

Mayor Peterson asked Gary Neiss to describe what will happen on this land if this project is not approved.  Mr. Neiss said a good percentage is zoned Garden Office (GO), so would be a product like Pima Norte.  A garden office strip mall is higher density than the Keystone plan.  GO also allows for an assisted living facility, with ambulances and fire trucks coming and going.  The existing GO zoning assigns higher intensity uses that are not quiet either.  Eastwood would be a single family home neighborhood.  Most residents in single family home neighborhoods like peace and quiet.  The people  interested in these homes already live in the area and need to downsize.  They have heard this at Town Hall repeatedly over the past several years.  This is a niche driven by the marketplace, not by the Town.  Keystone has found this niche in the marketplace.

 

 

 

The Council unanimously voted to approve the minor General Plan amendment and the Zoning amendment.  

 

 

 

Stacey Bridge-Denzak presented the Preliminary  Plat Plan for consideration.  She explained that the Preliminary Plat Plan describes the lots and plats.  There is a 35' setback along Cave Creek Road.  There will be vehicular tie-ins to other communities.  36% of the development would be open space, including the entry, streets, storm retention basin, and the landscaped buffer along Cave Creek Road.  The sewer will tie into Cave Creek Road.  Drainage will enter and exit historically, and the storm retention basin will slowly empty into the wash.  Some lots were lifted to insure that sewer and drainage would work efficiently.  The drainage plan meets the 100 year storm requirements, and was reviewed by the Town Engineer.  The plat includes enhanced landscape design and tiered walls along Cave Creek Road as a buffer.  Eastwood would be a gated community with private roads.  Off-site street improvements would be performed on Cave Creek Road, including turn lanes and under-grounding the power lines.  The Town has received "will serve" letters from the utilities, and Rural/Metro has signed off on the development.  Councilman Mike Farrar asked if there are consequences if the stipulations are not followed.  Mrs. Bridge-Denzak said if they are not followed, the project is not allowed to move forward.  The stipulations must be included in the Final Plat Plan as well.

 

 

 

The Council unanimously voted to approve the Preliminary Plat Plan.

 

https://vimeo.com/user18676056/review/148765663/f5e387f835

 

 

 

Lyn Hitchon

 

 

 

Prepared by Carefree Truth

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