[This transcript was generated automatically from audio using AI and hasn't been reviewed by a person -- it can contain mistakes, including plausible-sounding sentences that were never actually said. Treat it as a starting point, not a verbatim record.]

[0:00] I would like to call the March 19, 2025 meeting of the City of Avondale Planning Commission to order.
[0:08] May I have a roll call, please?
[0:14] Commissioner Pineda.
[0:18] Commissioner Guzman.
[0:21] Present.
[0:22] Commissioner Grim.
[0:23] Here.
[0:25] Vice Chair McBurney.
[0:27] Present.
[0:27] Chair White.
[0:28] Present.
[0:29] Commissioner Benson, Agunas Castillo and Commissioner Jewel all have an excused absence for tonight.
[0:36] Thank you, Arianna. Has everyone reviewed the minutes of the February 19th meeting and are there any corrections?
[0:47] At this time, the Chair would introduce a motion.
[0:53] Commissioner McBurney moves to approve the minutes of February 19th's Planning Commission meeting.
[1:00] And a second,
[1:04] a second by Commissioner Pineda and roll call about please.
[1:11] Commissioner Pineda,
[1:15] please speak into your microphone.
[1:18] All right, thank you.
[1:23] Commissioner Guzman.
[1:25] Yes.
[1:27] Commissioner Grim.
[1:28] Yes.
[1:29] Commissioner or Vice Chair McBurnie.
[1:32] Hi.
[1:32] And Chair White.
[1:33] Hi.
[1:37] Tina, we are ready for agenda item 4A. Could we have your report, please?
[1:48] Thank you, Chair, Vice-Chair, and Commissioners. The item before you this evening is a Rezone Request
[1:55] for SJ Acquisitions Industrial Development Application PL-24-0201.
[2:07] The purpose of the public hearing is for the planning commission to review the proposed
[2:12] rezone request and forward a recommendation to City Council.
[2:21] So before you is an aerial map of the property, the site is located west of the northwest
[2:27] corner of 4th Street and Lower Buckeye Road.
[2:31] It is currently vacant with abandoned outbuildings.
[2:35] The property was annexed into the city in 1960 and was zoned Manufactured Home Park.
[2:43] It was re-zoned in 2018 to General Industrial, limited to a mini-storage warehouse with ancillary RV storage,
[2:55] with the mini-warehouse requiring a conditional use permit approval.
[2:59] A conditional use permit was approved in 2018, however the approval expired in 2022.
[3:10] So these maps are provided to show the zoning classification and the general plan designation
[3:18] for the property and the surrounding neighborhood.
[3:23] The current zoning of the property is general industrial, limited to the use of a mini-storage
[3:30] warehouse and ancillary RV storage. The general plan designation is industrial
[3:38] and the property is located in the historic Abendale-Enfield area.
[3:46] So these
[3:46] photos that are provided are just to provide some context for the site. The
[3:53] top photo shows the site as seen from Lower Buckeye Road. The site is vacant.
[3:59] There's some abandoned outbuildings and there are limited off-site improvements.
[4:06] The bottom photo shows the property as seen from Elm Lane.
[4:14] So the reason request is to modify the existing general industrial zoning that limits the
[4:20] uses to a mini storage warehouse with ancillary RV storage to general industrial zoning
[4:29] with revised conditions to allow for a light industrial development.
[4:38] This is a conceptual site plan that was provided by the applicant.
[4:42] I would like to highlight some of the development standards.
[4:47] When adjacent to a residential zoning district or use,
[4:52] the development will require 75-foot building setbacks,
[4:57] 35-foot landscape use buffer setbacks,
[5:01] and 8-foot solid block walls.
[5:08] Here are some conceptual renderings of what a future building on site might look like.
[5:14] As described in the city's industrial design guidelines for employment districts,
[5:20] the industrial building will have the look and feel of an upscale office building
[5:25] with a mix of materials and building articulations.
[5:31] Site plan design review will be required to evaluate the site and the buildings.
[5:41] Staff has analyzed the rezone request.
[5:45] Resoning the property to General Industrial with revised conditions supports the goals of the General Plan
[5:52] by allowing a wider range of employment uses that will diversify employment opportunities for the site.
[6:00] The Rezone also supports the goals in the specific area plan by encouraging revitalization, investment, and redevelopment of an underutilized infill site.
[6:16] Incompatible uses have been prohibited within the project narrative.
[6:24] All public notifications have been met.
[6:27] The neighborhood meeting was held at the Agua Fria High School Library on February 11, 2025.
[6:34] There were two attendees aside from the applicant's team and city staff.
[6:40] Discussion was primarily related to the city's plans for future road improvements to Lower Buckeye Road.
[6:50] The city did receive one phone call in opposition to the request.
[6:55] The neighbor was concerned that any future development may block her view of the mountains.
[7:02] No comments were made on the Avendale Connect platform and no other comments have been received to date.
[7:11] Staff
[7:15] recommends approval of application PL 24-0201, SJ Acquisitions Industrial Development,
[7:24] subject to the stipulations found in the staff report.
[7:28] That concludes my presentation. I will be happy to answer any questions you may have.
[7:34] Thank you, Tana. Do any of the commissioners have any questions for the staff?
[7:40] I do.
[7:42] Commissioner McBurney.
[7:44] I just want a simple definition of what light industrial is.
[7:57] Excuse me for just a moment. I read it too.
[8:01] So light industrial is, for example,
[8:07] so for light industrial manufacturing, that would be where you would have an operation where they would deliver a prefabricated material.
[8:21] materials and
[8:23] finished products, and then you would fabricate that in sight
[8:27] light ingests real our uses such as a
[8:32] If you were to have a window shopping you were putting together the windows and then you would distribute those out
[8:39] you would not start from the raw materials say like you wouldn't create maybe the glass or the
[8:49] or take the metal and refine it, but it would be more of a light industrial in nature.
[8:57] Thank you.
[8:59] Any other questions from any commissioner for the staff?
[9:04] I have one question.
[9:07] How tall was it again on the picture?
[9:09] It looked like two stories.
[9:12] through the chair, Commissioner Pineda, the maximum height in the A1 zoning district is
[9:21] going to be 45 feet. The buildings have not been submitted as of this time, so it's they
[9:31] will not exceed 45 feet in height. All right, thank you.
[9:36] Any other questions for the staff?
[9:40] I have one. Could you go back to slide 10, please?
[9:48] There are the two arms that extend up to the north on each side of the current house.
[9:55] It looks like the building setbacks are not going to allow for any buildings in those areas.
[10:01] And it looks like maybe they're thinking about gates across there.
[10:07] Do you know what their plans are for those two areas?
[10:13] A chairperson might.
[10:15] At this time, the applicant has not proposed anything, but you are correct that the
[10:22] building setbacks, as you can see on the site plan, appear to not be able to have
[10:32] a building. They could potentially have outdoor storage of materials behind those walls, but
[10:41] they would need to be fully screened by a solid block wall. And the materials cannot be seen
[10:50] over that wall.
[10:52] Thank you. Any other questions for the staff?
[10:59] Would the applicant like to address the
[11:01] Commission and
[11:05] please state your name for the record.
[11:08] Thank you, Mr. Chair.
[11:09] Wendy Rodel with the Law Firm, Barry Rodel, 6750 East
[11:13] Camelback.
[11:14] My pleasure to be here this evening
[11:15] on behalf of SJ acquisitions.
[11:18] Christina has done a great job of explaining what we have
[11:22] before you this evening.
[11:23] I did just want to add that Mabu, our neighbor, who
[11:28] actually lives at that home there in the middle,
[11:30] so clearly the most impacted property owner,
[11:33] is here in support. She'd prefer not to speak, so I'm not trying to bring her up.
[11:37] But I did want to point out that she took the time this evening to come and join us
[11:41] because she's anxious to see this actually be developed and move forward.
[11:47] So, with that, Mr. Chair, members of the Commission,
[11:50] I'm happy to answer any other questions that you may have before you vote.
[11:54] Like any good lawyer, I can stand up here and speak as long as you want me to.
[11:58] But I will also sit down if you'd like me to as well.
[12:03] Would any commissioner have any questions to ask?
[12:08] Thank you very much for your presentation.
[12:11] Thank you.
[12:11] And we welcome working with you here in Avondale.
[12:16] Likewise.
[12:16] Thank you so much.
[12:19] I would like to now open the public hearing for this item.
[12:23] And I did receive one request to speak,
[12:27] although it's a request not to speak.
[12:31] We want to thank Mavu for her indication on her form
[12:38] that she is in favor of this item.
[12:44] Has Ariana, have you received any other requests to speak?
[12:48] Thank you, Chair.
[12:49] I have not received any requests to speak,
[12:51] but if anyone else would like to speak,
[12:53] you may go up to the podium.
[12:57] Seeing none, I would now close.
[12:59] There's public hearing on this item.
[13:03] Would the applicant or staff care to add anything else at this time?
[13:14] I'm sorry.
[13:15] She said no. Thank you.
[13:17] Okay. Hearing none, the chair would now entertain a motion on this item.
[13:28] Chair McBurney would like to move that we approve the SJ Acquisitions Industrial Development
[13:34] and rezoning application PL-24-0201 as it's been presented.
[13:43] I think I would like you to read from the screen the entire.
[13:49] I would like to move to approve agenda items for a,
[13:55] recommend the approval of application PL-24-0201,
[14:00] SJ Acquisitions Industrial Development,
[14:02] a request to rezone approximately six and a half
[14:06] gross acres located west of the northwest corner
[14:09] of Fourth Street and Lower Buckeye Road.
[14:11] The rezoning would modify the existing
[14:14] general industrial A1 zoning that limits the use
[14:18] to a mini-storage warehouse with ancillary
[14:21] recreational vehicle, also known as RV storage,
[14:24] to A1 zoning with revised conditions
[14:27] to allow for a light industrial development
[14:30] subject to the conditions listed in the staff report.
[14:36] Do we have a second?
[14:40] I'll second.
[14:44] Can you state your name to Commissioner Panetta?
[14:47] Commissioner Panetta, I'll second.
[14:50] Thank you.
[14:51] I will now open the floor for discussion.
[14:54] Any further discussion among the commissioners?
[14:58] Hearing none, it has been moved.
[15:00] Moved and seconded for approval of application PL 24, day 0201, roll call vote, please.
[15:09] Commissioner Panetta.
[15:11] Aye.
[15:12] Commissioner Goosman.
[15:13] Aye.
[15:14] Commissioner Grimm.
[15:15] Aye.
[15:16] Vice Chair McBurney.
[15:17] Aye.
[15:17] Chair White.
[15:18] Aye.
[15:20] The motion passes, 5 to 0.
[15:26] That concludes agenda item 4A, agenda item 5, commission announcements.
[15:31] Are there any items for many commissioners?
[15:37] Hearing none, item six, Planning Division Report.
[15:42] Katherine, do you have a report?
[15:44] Good evening, Chair, Vice Chair, and commissioners.
[15:47] I don't have any items to report other than to let you know for the month of February
[15:52] that Development Services did receive 24 new development applications.
[15:59] So we are keeping forward with the trend of about 20 to 30 applications a month.
[16:05] Thank you.
[16:06] Thank you.
[16:08] Agenda Item 7, calendar.
[16:11] The next scheduled meeting is April 16th, 2025.
[16:16] And may I have a motion to adjourn?
[16:22] Commissioner McBrenney moves to adjourn the Planning Commission meeting of March 19th.
[16:28] And a second.
[16:30] Commissioner Grimm seconds. All in favor say aye. We are adjourned.