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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1998.0210.TCWSM.Minutes TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MINUTES OF THE WORKSTUDY SESSION OF THE FOUNTAIN HILLS TOWN COUNCIL FEBRUARY 10, 1998 A public meeting of the Fountain Hills Town Council was convened and called to order by Mayor Miles at 6:30 P.M., Tuesday, February 10, 1998, in the Fountain Hills Town Hall Council Chambers, located at 16836 E.Palisades Blvd.,Building B,Fountain Hills,Arizona. Roll Call: Mayor Miles, Vice Mayor Wiggishoff and Councilmen Poma, Lawrence, O'Brien and Apps were present. Councilman Mower was absent. Also present were Town Manager Paul Nordin, Town Attorney Bill Farrell, Director of Community Development Gary Jeppson, Town Clerk Cassie Hansen,Town Engineer Randy Harrel and Planner Jeff Valder. AGENDA ITEM #1 - DISCUSSION OF THE APPLICATIONS FOR THE FIREROCK COUNTRY CLUB AREA SPECIFIC PLAN, REZONING REQUEST, MASTER PRELIMINARY PLAT, CUT AND FILL WAIVERS, AND GOLF COURSE DISTURBANCE WAIVER. Mayor Miles stated the Planning & Zoning Commission had presented five points of contention in the applications for the Firerock Country Club project. He recommended that the Council discuss these points individually and that input from the audience would be allowed at the end of each discussion. Point 1. By a vote of 4-3, the P&Z Commission did not approve the gating of the subdivision. Mayor Miles said two solutions had been presented. One suggestion was to make the easternmost access at Tombstone Drive an emergency-only entrance and exit. The other alternative was the privilege of a gate pass for Firerock Country Club homeowners. Gregg Bielli, MCO Properties, said Parcel G would have an extended cul-de-sac from the main loop road which required design changes if the emergency-only entrance solution was adopted. He said the management of gate passes and security would be hard to maintain. He was positive in the efforts to resolve some type of design solution to this problem. He pointed out that the residents of this subdivision would be responsible for the maintenance and improvements of private streets created by the gating of this area as well as the contribution made under property taxes for the maintenance of other town streets. Stan West asked whether the main gate would be manned. Mr. Bielli stated there would be one manned gate at the main entrance at Shea Boulevard and Fountain Hills Boulevard and three mechanical gates, one located at Palisades Boulevard (south) extension, one at the Eagle Mountain joint shared access location and the third one at the Tombstone exit. Point 2. Parcel C residents should not have access directly onto Shea Boulevard but should be part of the circulation system within the subdivision. Mr. Jeppson stated the applicant's proposed design was better than redesigning the roadways within the subdivision. Town Engineer Harrel agreed. Mr. Bielli said a number of alternatives had been studied but that the terrain mandated the design as submitted with the relocation of the golf course maintenance facility. Vice Mayor Wiggishoff stated she wanted to know why the Planning & Zoning Commission desired a different design of the circulation system when it Town Council Work/Study Session 2/10/98 Page 1 of 4 would result in more intrusion to the desert and golf course design. Mr. Bielli stated Parcel C ,40) would have a separate, mechanical gate and contain 136 condominium units. Mr. Harrel stated the pork-chop island and acceleration lane on Shea Boulevard would adequately handle the traffic generated by residents of Parcel C. He said a traffic signal could be stipulated at this location if the volume of traffic warranted it and possibly another one at Technology Drive. Point 3. Require the developer to construct a third lane on Shea Boulevard the entire length of the project. Town Attorney Bill Farrell stated this development would impact the amount of traffic on Shea Boulevard but that a stipulation for the complete assumption of the construction of the third lane was not reasonable. He said some level of participation would be probable either by participation of all developers of frontage property on Shea Boulevard or contributions of development fees based on traffic projections. He stated the development agreement could contain a specified contribution from the developer based upon projected the number of trip generation values. Mr. Bielli agreed that some impact fee was rational on a per building basis for this project. Point 4. The entire development should be single-family. Mr.Jeppson stated in the current General Plan a range from 144 to 216 multi-family units with a mid point of 180 units was recommended. He stated the applicant requested 390 units. Councilman Poma suggested the elimination of 390 of the 700 proposed multiple family units from the development of Plat 208 to allow for the development of 390 multi-family units at Firerock Country Club. Mr. Bielli responded MCO Properties would be willing to discuss removing at least 300 units from the Plat 208 development. He pointed out Firerock Country Club would not contain any apartments but would have multi-family units similar to developments such as Fountainhead with clustered, detached dwellings. Councilman O'Brien indicated he didn't think the transfer of multiple family units from the downtown development was an appropriate solution and felt the adherence to the General Plan was mandated. He stated 180 multi-family units was more desirable for Firerock and better than taking away from the downtown project. Councilman Poma pointed out residents had voiced their opinions concerning the limitation of additional multi-family units in the community. Councilman Lawrence stated that the distribution of traffic created by transferring multi-family units to an outside location such as Shea Boulevard was an acceptable solution because Shea Blvd. had been designed to handle higher traffic volumes. Councilman Apps said he opposed the transfer of units and preferred to abide by the General Plan guidelines. Stan West stated if the highest and best usage of the land was for multiple family dwellings, then he did not object to this type of zoning. He did object to transfers in other parts of the community and urged the Council not agree to trade-offs in developments not already proposed. Sharon Hutcheson asked for clarification on the zoning. Mayor Miles stated that would be addressed at the public hearing at the next Council meeting. Michael Affolter voiced his approval of the proposed transfer of density. Phyllis Kern stated she predicted there was a great demand for luxury condominium units. Loras Rauch took exception to the transfer of density and stated taking away from the downtown development was not the right answer. She urged the Council to insist upon the General Plan recommendations for single family units. Councilman O'Brien stated the agreements between the Town and MCO Properties for future development of the downtown area allowed for certain densities and transfers of mountainous lands. Town Council Work/Study Session 2/10/98 Page 2 of 4 Yette Seidon opposed the density in Firerock CC by the allowance of a transfer of multiple family units from the future downtown area. Leesa Fraverd stated the soon to be reviewed, revised General Plan would provide only for single family dwellings in the Firerock CC subdivision. She conveyed her apprehension about the possibility that the proposed development would not ultimately be constructed as proposed. Chris Marchell said she thought higher density development was not supportable in the town and the current zoning should be obeyed. Al Donaldson expressed his approval of the proposed gated subdivision. Point 5. The disturbance calculations were incorrect. Town Attorney Farrell stated exemptions provided in the Subdivision Ordinance had caused differences in the calculations for land disturbance figures. Mr. Jeppson said the exemption of the golf course lands and the effluent retention ponds accounting for 169.38 acres were at the discretion of the Council. Mayor Miles asked if the Council did not grant the exemption, what was the number of acres that would be out of balance. Mr. Jeppson answered that approximately 66 acres would be affected. Mr. Farrell stated the "OSR" designation almost always contained golf courses as an economic benefit to the developer and not to include it as open space could invite litigation. He explained that the effluent ponds had been mandated in a previous action by DEQ and the Council should also consider the exemption of the ponds. Mayor Miles called on the Chairman of the Sanitary District, Bruce Hansen, for a comment. Mr. Hansen explained that MCO and the Sanitary District had a consent agreement for the disposal of effluent, which included the construction of the ponds in the Firerock CC area. He declined to additionally comment on the Firerock project due to pending negotiations with MCO. Leesa Fraverd pointed out that some of the golf course lands were in higher slope areas where disturbance calculations would require more preservation. Chris Marchell said she was concerned that the changing of the disturbance numbers favored the developer. She suggested an outside attorney be hired to assess the calculations. Joe Goyena encouraged the Council to proceed with the proposed project as presented. Judy Dragewicz encouraged the preservation of open space as outlined by staff. Frank Ferrara, President of the Chamber of Commerce, read a statement supporting the Firerock Country Club project. Councilman O'Brien asked staff to provide a definition of a sending area and how it was calculated. Loras Rauch stated the Subdivision Ordinance should be the guidelines for disturbance options which the Council should base their decision regarding the approval of the project. She compared the disturbance figures of Sunridge Canyon subdivision and pointed out that the difference in density was the factor that needed to be considered. Chris Marchell stated that seasonal residents did not help to contribute to the Town's economic status when it was most needed in the summer months. Councilman Poma asked Planner Jeff Valder to comment. Mr. Valder stated the Subdivision Ordinance provided for a calculation based on a gross position not a net position and that was why the calculations had varied. He explained that the Mower amendment changed the previous calculation procedures and that staff recommended approval of the disturbance calculations. Vice Mayor Wiggishoff pointed out various concerns about not wanting development in the washes, and that the Mower Amendment had provided for preventing development on the ridgelines and down from the mountainous slopes. Councilman O'Brien asked staff to calculate Li the disturbance figure not exempting the golf course lands and another figure not exempting the effluent ponds. Councilman Apps stated the citizens had voiced their concerns about preservation Town Council Work/Study Session 2/10/98 Page 3 of 4 and that Subdivision Ordinance should be applied to the project without any tradeoffs or transfers. AGENDA ITEM#2-ADJOURNMENT. Councilman Poma MOVED to adjourn the meeting. Councilman Apps SECONDED the motion, which CARRIED unanimously. Mayor Miles adjourned the meeting at 8:16 p.m. TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS By: Je files ayoryt ATTEST: `�� ,Old/ Cassie B.Hansen,Town Clerk PREPARED BY: ,�, Linda D.Lemmen,Administrative Assistant CER i'IHCATION I hereby certify that the foregoing minutes are a true and correct copy of the minutes of the Workstudy Session Meeting held by the Town Council of Fountain Hills on the 10th day of February, 1998. I further certify that the meeting was duly called and that a quorum was present. DATED this 19th day of February, 1998. Qji AJA144..A.A.J Cassie B.Hansen,Town Clerk *1110 Town Council Work/Study Session 2/10/98 Page 4 of 4