Spook Hill Neighborhood Action Assoc.

Mesa Planning Board Approves Six Story Buildings in Las Sendas

Planning Board votes 7 to 0 for Approval of Parcel 51 Plan

Report on Mesa P&Z Meeting on Parcel 51
April 17, 2008

This item was almost the last one on the agenda, in spite of having been delayed. There were many speakers, including the Las Sendas HOA, their attorney, the LS51 group, Spook Hill and several individuals. All were opposed to the plan for a variety of reasons. The most common concerns were the six story buildings, the possibility that drive through pickup access might be permitted later even though none is included now, discrepancies between the narrative and the plats, excessive traffic near the elementary school and the plan being out of character for the area.

After two hours, the board voted 7 to 0 to recommend Council approval.

A request for a delay to allow more study was ignored. The members seemed to feel that this plan was a major improvement over the one that they had rejected by a 7 to 0 vote in January, that the applicant was being caught between too many opposing forces and that he had made an effort to appease those forces to no avail. They were all effusive in complimenting the developer on the new design. Economic development was the 500-pound gorilla. The new Mesa ED Director said that 1800 jobs were projected, with 1200 of them in the offices based on four six story office buildings, with an average wage of $50,000. The goal is to increase Mesa’s jobs per capita ratio from 0.34 now to at least the countywide average of 0.44 by 2025. Office jobs are a big part of the plan and more freeway frontage sites with larger space for Regional Corporate offices are needed. “Make Mesa a Boardroom community instead of a Bedroom one.” There were indications that the current mayor and council wanted the increase in jobs available on this site and that they want to vote on this plan before they leave office in late May.

Two board members had concerns over the impact of six story buildings and asked if the developer could live with four stories. The response was that they could live with four stories, but they and the council wanted the flexibility to go to six stories if market conditions allowed it. These members wound up voting in favor of the plan based on its overall quality and the benefit to the city. The developer said that he expected the build out to take ten years and that the first office buildings would probably be four stories while the later ones would be six stories. For reference, six stories would be about 95 feet. The two power line poles where the high voltage lines cross McDowell Road on the west side of the CAP canal are 104 feet tall.

Several speakers expressed dismay over the poor job of the HOA in communication with their residents and with the lack of opportunities for the residents of Las Sendas to provide feedback to the HOA Board. The P&Z members even asked who was representing the residents at the meeting, since there were two groups speaking, plus the attorney, and little common ground. The P&Z chairperson also commented that there seemed to be relatively little resident interest since only 200 of over 6000 residents signed petitions, wrote to them or attended to meeting. (About 25 attended) It is apparent that filling the seats in the meeting room and deluging the members with petitions and emails is the way to get their attention.

Tom Ellsworth of the city staff answered my request that the lighting on the buildings be restricted. He said that the staff would make sure that the lighting met the Desert Uplands Standards and the “Dark Skies” concept.

There was almost no concern by the P&Z board over possible impact on city views. The economic development impact overrode it. Chairperson Rich Adams stated after the vote that the board was charged with recommending the plan that they felt was best for the entire city of Mesa, not just on one area.

The concern over possible future restaurant drive thrus resulted in as Condition that any addition of drive thrus must come back for a public meeting.

The city Council will apparently consider this plan at its meeting on May 18th. A formal protest is still in effect by the adjacent property owners, so it will take six favorable votes to pass.