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  AGENDA ITEM: 2.       
Planning & Zoning Commission
Meeting Date: 11/08/2017  
Requested by: Bayer Vella
Submitted By: Elisa Hamblin, Community Development & Public Works
Case Number: OV1701076

SUBJECT:
PUBLIC HEARING: DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING THE INNOVATION PARK DRIVE TYPE 1 GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT FROM COMMERCE/OFFICE PARK (COP) TO MEDIUM DENSITY RESIDENTIAL (MDR), LOCATED AT THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF RANCHO VISTOSO BOULEVARD AND VISTOSO COMMERCE LOOP, OV1701076
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends denial of the proposed Type 1 General Plan Amendment application.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
The purpose of this request is to consider a Type 1 General Plan Amendment application to change the land use designation from Commerce / Office Park to Medium Density Residential (MDR) (Attachment 1). The applicant has provided new information with the application in the form of a supplementary presentation (Attachment 2). The applicant is requesting the Commission view the presentation in advance of the upcoming meeting.

The proposed development is approximately 15 ac. located at the northwest corner of Rancho Vistoso Boulevard and Vistoso Commerce Loop. The approval of this request would allow a residential subdivision with a similar density and design as the single-family neighborhood to the north (Attachment 3).

The key factors for consideration include:
  • Staff has found this proposal is not in conformance with the intent of the Your Voice, Our Future General Plan and its focus on improving the local economy.
  • The proposal would significantly reduce an already limited supply of Commerce / Office Park land in Oro Valley. This type of land is needed to attract employers, businesses and residents to Oro Valley and help maintain the community's long-term economic viability.
  • The proposal would not help the long-term commercial viability in the area as it would potentially only increase residential units by a small number.
  • Although the proposal would be compatible with the adjacent residential properties, it has received mixed support from nearby residents.
The Planning and Zoning Commission held the first of two required public hearings on October 3, 2017. No action was taken at that hearing. Two residents spoke at the meeting and several issues were discussed, including:
  1. History of proposals for the property
  2. Uses permitted under the current zoning
  3. Building heights, buffering and setbacks permitted under the current zoning
  4. Building heights, buffering and setbacks potentially permitted under proposed zoning
This report addresses the issues and/or concerns raised at the first public hearing. The original staff report (Attachment 4) contains an overall background and analysis related to this case.

The November 8, 2017 Planning and Zoning Commission meeting is the second of two public hearings. At the second hearing, the Commission will take public testimony and formulate a recommendation on the proposed amendment to the Town Council.
BACKGROUND OR DETAILED INFORMATION:
The background information and analysis for the proposed amendment can be found in the October 3, 2017 Planning and Zoning Commission staff report (Attachment 4).

A. DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
At the October 3, 2017 Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, the following issues and/or concerns (shown in italics) were discussed:

1. Commission comment related to site history: Can you elaborate on the history of proposals for the property?

Staff response: The subject property is known as parcel 2E in Rancho Vistoso and has always been planned as an light industrial/office site, despite recent attempts to convert the site to a residential use.
  • 1987 - The Rancho Vistoso Planned Area Development (PAD) was adopted 1987. The area to the east of Big Wash was planned as a major office/research park and included all of neighborhoods 2 and 3.
  • 1994 - The Oracle Road Scenic Overlay Corridor District (ORSCOD) was adopted. This district effectively encouraged lower densities and building heights along the Oracle Road Corridor. ORSCOD included a provision known as cumulative zoning which allowed a property owner to build to a less dense use, i.e. residential instead of industrial.
  • 1996 onward - The entire Vistoso Vistas subdivision to the north of the subject property was converted to residential using the cumulative zoning provision. The encroachment of residential uses into the Innovation Park area was seen as a serious concern for the Town as well as nearby major employers.
  • 2002 - ORSCOD was amended and the cumulative zoning provision was removed.
Amending the land use of the subject property would continue a trend which was never seen as desirable by stakeholders and decision-makers.

The current proposal to amend the land use on the subject property is the third planning case in the last 10 years.
  • The first attempt to develop the property occurred in 2008 when a light industrial/office park was proposed. As a permitted use, the development plan was approved.
    • The development plan included 14 buildings for a total of 154,000 square feet. Four larger "research and development" buildings were proposed towards the rear of the property. Ten smaller buildings with office suites were planned for the front of the property. Due to buffers, setbacks and access, the closest building was planned approximately 75 feet from the nearest residential property line.
    • Due to the economic conditions at the time, development did not immediately commence. A one year extension of the development plan was denied in 2009 and ultimately the approvals expired in 2010.
  • The second case involved a general plan amendment request in 2011 to change to high-density residential. The application was denied by the Town Council.
  • Now, the current land use amendment request constitutes the third case for review.
2. Commission comment related to permitted uses: What other uses other than an industrial type building for Commerce / Office Park are allowed? What other uses would be allowed that would not have the same visual impact as the applicant's slide shown?

Staff response: The subject property has a land use designation of Commerce / Office Park and zoning for Office / Research Park in the Rancho Vistoso PAD. This zone permits the same uses as the Tech Park zone, as well as others. The size and scale of these uses would be dependent on the future proposal and adherence to the development standards, as outlined in the following question. A full list of permitted uses is included as Attachment 5. An abbreviated list of uses follows.
  • Apparel
  • Communication studios
  • Limited manufacturing
  • Laboratories
  • Printing
  • Professional offices
  • Technical services
  • Warehousing
  • Wholesale and storage
Further discussion regarding the visual impacts of the permitted uses can be found in the staff response to question 3.

3. Commission comment related to development standards: If the application is denied, what kind of buffering is in place?

Staff response: As mentioned, the subject property is zoned Office / Research Park in the Rancho Vistoso PAD. This zone allows for a maximum building height of 36 feet, a maximum site coverage of 50% and setbacks of 25 feet (front), 20 feet (side) and 30 feet (rear). Developments of the type and size permitted by current zoning would typically be farther than the minimum 30 from the rear property line due to buffer and access issues. To accommodate business and fire access requirements, an interior drive would be needed, which would push development another 20+ feet from the setback. The applicant has shared a presentation slide depicting view impacts to neighbors, which is not accurate given the aforementioned factors.

In the 2008 proposed development the closest building was planned approximately 75 feet from the nearest residential property line, as shown in Attachment 6. Comparable example properties include the Securaplane site and the Innovation Corporate Center. The Securaplane building is located roughly 115-185 feet from its property edge on all sides. Innovation Corporate Center includes an open space buffer and large setbacks on quite a few of the buildings.

4. Neighbor comments related to potential development: There are too many unknowns for either development to know what works. There is a preference for lower-scale office. If developed as homes, would like to see them as one-story.

Staff response: Typically during the development review process Town staff will work with the applicant to address specific concerns such as buffering. The site is allowed a maximum of height of 36 feet with a rear setback (near existing homes) of 30 feet. In contrast, the proposed residential zoning may ultimately allow a building height of 30 feet and a rear setback of 10 feet. If this proposal does move forward, the details of restricted building heights and additional buffers can be resolved during the rezoning process.

B. PUBLIC COMMENTS
The October 3, 2017 Planning and Zoning Commission meeting minutes are provided as Attachment 7.

As of the date of this report, staff has not received any additional letters of objection or support from community members.

C. SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATION
Based on the analysis providing in this staff report and at the previous public hearing (Attachment 4), staff recommends that the Planning and Zoning Commission take the following action:
  • Recommend denial to the Town Council of the requested Type 1 General Plan Amendment application.
The basis for this recommended denial are as follows:
  • The proposal is not in conformance with the intent of the Your Voice, Our Future General Plan and its focus on improving the local economy.
  • The proposal would significantly reduce an already limited supply of Commerce / Office Park land in Oro Valley. This type of land is needed to attract employers, businesses and residents to Oro Valley and help maintain the community's long-term economic viability.
  • The proposal would not help the long-term commercial viability in the area as it would potentially only increase residential units by a small number.
  • Although the proposal would be compatible with the adjacent residential properties, it has received mixed support from nearby residents.
SUGGESTED MOTION:
The Planning and Zoning Commission may wish to consider the following suggested motions for the proposed General Plan Amendment:

I MOVE to recommend denial of the Innovation Park Type 1 General Plan Amendment from Commerce/Office Park to Medium Density Residential, based on the finding that the application is not in conformance with the amendment criteria and intent of the Your Voice, Our Future General Plan.

OR

I MOVE to recommend approval of the Innovation Park Type 1 General Plan Amendment from Commerce/Office Park to Medium Density Residential, based on the finding that _______________________________________.
 
 
Attachments
1_Application Materials
2_Applicant Presentation
3_Future Land Use Map
4_PZC October 3 Materials
5_Existing Zoning Uses
6_Campus Plan 2008
7_PZC October 3 Minutes


    

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