TO: Mayor Collins and Town Council Members
FROM: Kevin Burke, Town Manager
Eva Cutro, Community Development Director
George Burton, Planner
DATE: April 12, 2018
DEPARTMENT: Community Development
Staff Contact George Burton, 480-348-3525
End
AGENDA TITLE:
Title
Discussion of Intermediate Special Use Permit Amendment - Statement of Direction (SUP-18-03). 5700 E. McDonald Drive
Body
Town Value(s):
☒ Primarily one-acre, residential community
☐ Limited government
☐ Creating a sense of community
☐ Partnerships with existing schools and resorts to enhance recreational opportunities
☐ Improving aesthetics/creating a brand
☐ Preserving natural open space
The proposed improvements are consistent with Section 1.3 of the Town’s General Plan which encourages the continued revitalization and improvement of the Town’s resorts while protecting the adjacent residential neighborhoods.
Background
Background:
History and Lot Conditions
The Town annexed the subject property in 1961. The original Special Use Permit (SUP) was issued on September 14, 1967 and has been amended several times. The most recent amendment was approved in 2017 for additions to the existing casitas, two new casita buildings, a new pool, a new snack bar, modified parking, additions to the ballroom building, and the addition of a storage building. The resort property is approximately 17 acres in size and located at the southwest corner of McDonald Drive and Superstition Lane. This memo is intended for staff to receive input and direction from the Council on the draft Statement of Direction (SOD).
Request:
Sanctuary Resort and Spa is requesting an amendment to their Special Use Permit (SUP) to allow for the improvements at Casa 3 in order to create more keys and accommodate additional guests. The applicant is proposing to remodel and expand the existing house (which is commonly referred to as the Gallery House), add a new guest room building, relocate the pool, and add new landscape/hardscape improvements.
§ Gallery House Remodel/Addition
The existing house is single-story structure that originally had a tennis court on top of the roof. The existing structure will be remodeled and enlarged. The first floor will be remodeled to update the living area and a 1,620 square feet second-story addition will be placed over the center portion of the existing structure (for a total of 3,919 square foot of footprint). The remaining part of the roof structure will be converted into an outdoor deck/living area.
The renovated Gallery House will be 24’ tall (measured from natural grade) and will be designed and finished to match the architectural style of the resort. The structure will have a setback of 115’ from the south/front property line, 185’ from the north/rear property line, 33’ from the west/side property line, and 20’ from the east/side property line. New sconces will also be placed around the building. The sconces match the existing fixtures used around the resort and have an opaque shield that will hide the light source and direct the light downward in accordance with the hillside code.
§ Guest House
A 3,373 square foot detached guest house will be placed in front of the property. The guest house is a single-story building that will be 15’4” tall (measured from natural grade). The guest house will be designed and finished to match the architectural style of the resort and consists of 4 guest units/rooms with separate patios. The patios will be enclosed with walls that vary in height from 5’ tall to 7’ tall.
The guest house will have a setback of 40’ from the south/front property line, 289’ from the north/rear property line, 40’ from the west/side property line, and 52’ from the east/side property line. The light fixtures that will be used on the Gallery House will also be used on the guest house (which have an opaque shield that will hide the light source and direct the light downward in accordance with the hillside code).
§ Pool
The existing pool is located on the west side of the property and is setback approximately 18’ from the nearest property line. The existing pool will be demolished and a new zero edge pool will be placed behind the gallery house. The pool will have a 7’ tall retaining wall and will be setback 200’ from the south/front property line, 185’ from the north/rear property line, 20’ from the west/side property line, and 20’ from the east/side property line.
§ Landscape and Hardscape
New landscape and hardscape will be placed around the Gallery House and guest house. The new landscaping consists of Blue Palo Verde, Sweet Acacia, Scarlet Sage, and Quail Bush. Also, a new concrete patio will be placed on the west side of the Gallery House and a new cart path will be placed along the west side of the guest house building.
§ Circulation
Four new parking spaces will be added just east of the guest house. The traffic analysis from the 2017 SUP Amendment identified that the peak shared parking usage required 371 spaces and the resort provides 391. Although it does not appear that these improvements will create any circulation issues, the applicant will be required to provide an updated traffic report for Planning Commission review.
§ Lot Coverage and Site Data
The existing lot coverage is 161,935 square feet or 20.4% lot coverage. The improvements will add approximately 3,373 square feet of footprint to the resort; which results in the lot coverage of 20.9%. The improvements will also increase the key count from 176 keys to 180 keys.
Discussion:
Statement of Direction
Per the Town’s ordinance, the Town Council shall issue a Statement of Direction for Intermediate SUP Amendments. A Statement of Direction is intended to provide general guidelines or project parameters as the application progresses through the Planning Commission and Town Council review. A Statement of Direction is not a final decision and shall create no vested rights to the approval of a Special Use Permit. Nor shall the applicant rely on the matters addressed in the Statement of Direction as those that may become part of an approved Special Use Permit.
Zoning Ordinance Compliance:
The proposed improvements are consistent with the existing resort use. The Galley House renovation and the guest house building will be designed in accordance with the existing architectural style of the SUP and will meet hillside requirements. The setbacks, heights, and lot coverage are substantially compliant with the Sanctuary SUP. The SUP identifies that the Casas should conform with the R-43 standards.
However, the guest house building deviates from the R-43 setbacks. An accessory structure has a setback of 60’ from the front property line and 20’ from the side and rear property lines. The proposed guest house building has a 40’ front yard setback, 289’ setback from the rear property line, 40’ setback from the west side property line, and 52’ setback from the east side property line. Staff is in support of the decreased front yard setback of the guest house since the applicant has increased the west side setback to 40’ (which increases the setback adjoining the western neighboring residential property).
Also, staff has concerns regarding the new outdoor deck/outdoor living area on the Gallery House. Staff is concerned about the potential noise and visibility impact that the outdoor deck may have on the neighboring properties to the west. Therefore, staff recommends that this feature shall be one of the items subject to the Planning Commission review.
Intermediate AMENDMENT CRITERIA:
Per the SUP Ordinance effective November 22, 2009, an Intermediate Amendment to a Special Use Permit shall include any proposal which does not:
1. Change or add any uses; or
2. Increase the floor area of the project by more than 40% upon the existing or, if still under construction, approved floor area square footage of the affected SUP property, with any such increase to be measured cumulatively over a sixty-month period; or
3. Have any significant material effect on the adjoining property owners that is visible, audible, or otherwise perceptible from adjacent properties that cannot be sufficiently mitigated.
Due to the amendments over the past several years, the resort has increased their floor area by more than 40% of the existing. As a result, this request must be processed as an Intermediate Amendment to the Sanctuary SUP.
Attached is a copy of the draft Statement of Direction (SOD) for Town Council review. Staff will incorporate any changes from this meeting and present the updated SOD for Council review and action at the April 26th meeting.
ATTACHMENT(S):
Application
Vicinity Map & Aerial Photo
Project Narrative & Site Data
Project Plans
Draft Statement of Direction