Town of Paradise Valley
Action Report
TO: Chair and Planning Commission
FROM: George Burton, Planner
Paul Michaud, Senior Planner
Eva Cutro, Community Development Director
DATE: April 4, 2017
CONTACT:
Staff Contact
George Burton, 480-348-3525
End
AGENDA TITLE:
Title
Discussion of Intermediate Special Use Permit Amendment
Sanctuary Resort (SUP 16-08). 5700 E. McDonald Drive.
Body
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 2014 to include spa related uses at Casa 2. The property is approximately 17 acres in size and located at the southwest corner of McDonald Drive and Superstition Lane.
Request:
Sanctuary Resort and Spa is requesting an amendment to their Special Use Permit (SUP) to allow for additions to the existing casitas, two new casitas, a new pool, a new snack bar, modified parking near the central part of the property, and additions to the existing ballroom building.
§ New Casitas
A total of 45 keys will be added to the property with the addition of new casitas or bungalows. 13 of the new keys will be created by infilling areas underneath the existing casitas. The other 32 keys will be created by placing one and two story additions at the ends of eleven casitas and constructing two new casita buildings. One of the new casita buildings will be two stories and the other new casita building will be one story.
The proposal is substantially compliant with the SUP Guidelines with a setback of approximately 110’ from the west residential property, approximately 560’ from the north property line adjoining Lincoln Drive, and approximately 25’ from the east property line adjoining Starlight Way. The SUP Guidelines recommend a minimum setback of 60’ from residential uses and 40’ from a public street. The setbacks of the casita additions were identified as an area of Commission review in the Statement of Direction since the one addition deviates from the recommended setback (which was incorrectly illustrated at 7’ away from Starlight Way in the original submittal and has since been updated to reflect the correct setback of 25’ from Starlight Way).
Also, the two story additions are approximately 22’ tall and the one story additions are approximately 11’ tall. The new additions will be designed to match the architectural style of the existing casitas and new sconces will be placed at the entrance of each key or bungalow. The sconces are hooded and shielded to direct light downward in accordance with the hillside code. Also, all new mechanical equipment will be ground mounted and screened with walls.
The 13 infill keys vary in size from 550 square feet to 850 square feet. The other 32 new keys are approximately 410 square feet in size.
§ Pool & Snack Bar
A new pool and snack bar will be located at the northern end of the project area. A 5’ tall iron view fence will be placed around the pool area to provide barrier protection and a 15’ tall snack bar will be added to accommodate guests. The snack bar is 190 square feet in size and will operate during daylight hours.
§ Parking & Circulation
The parking in the casita area will be modified to accommodate the improvements, with 17 new spaces added to the site. Per the parking analysis, there are a sufficient number of parking spaces to accommodate the improvements and the resort’s parking needs. The peak shared parking usage is 371 spaces and the resort will provide 391 spaces. Also, the traffic study does not anticipate any on-site circulation issues created by the proposed improvements.
§ Ballroom Expansion
The existing ballroom will be expanded along the north side of the building. There is an existing deck in this area that will be expanded and enclosed to create an additional 2,200 square feet of ballroom. Below this enclosed deck the applicant proposes an additional 1000 square feet of office and storage space. A stairwell will also be added to the northeast corner of the ballroom to meet exiting requirements and all new mechanical equipment will be ground mounted and screened with walls.
The addition is approximately 28’ tall, setback approximately 60’ from the east property line, and will be finished to match the existing structure.
A patio expansion is also proposed on the west side of the ballroom, across from the Jade bar. This patio would be uncovered and approximately 1000 square feet in size (because it is uncovered it would not be included in any lot coverage or Floor Area Ratio calculations).
§ Lot Coverage
The existing lot coverage is 141,438 square feet or 19.1% lot coverage. The improvements will add approximately 10,663 square feet of footprint to the resort; which results in the lot coverage of 20.5%.
DISCUSSION/FACTS:
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. The Town Council approved the Sanctuary Resort’s Statement of Direction on February 23, 2017.
General Plan:
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.
Zoning Ordinance Compliance:
The proposed improvements are consistent with the existing resort use. The casita additions, ballroom expansion, and pool/snack bar area will be designed in accordance with the existing architectural style of the SUP. The setbacks, heights, and lot coverage are substantially compliant with the SUP Guidelines. The improvements meet the recommended height and lot coverage limits and the parking requirements. The only deviation is regarding the setback for one casita addition, which is located approximately 25’ away from Starlight Way (instead of the recommended setback of 40’).
Intermediate AMENDMENT CRITERIA:
Per the new 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.
The proposed improvements do not change the use of the SUP and will have limited impact on neighboring properties. The proposed improvements will match the architectural style of the resort, are substantially compliant with the SUP Guidelines, and meet the parking and circulation requirements.
PUBLIC COMMENTS:
Public notification is not required for the work study session. In accordance with the Town Code, the applicant will hold a citizen review meeting on April 14th and will notify the neighboring properties of the May 2nd public hearing.
Next Steps
Since additional information is needed, the Sanctuary Intermediate SUP Amendment is scheduled for another work study review on April 18th. The applicant is working with staff to:
§ Update the on-site retention calculations to address pre versus post retention for the 100 year 2 hour storm event.
§ Identify the location of the proposed retention ponds and planters.
§ Identify the new exterior lighting associated with the ballroom addition and patio expansion.
§ Identify the overall height of the ballroom measured from the lowest grade at the structure.
The public hearing is scheduled on May 2, 2017 and public notification will be performed in accordance with the public hearing process.
ATTACHMENTS:
Vicinity Map & Aerial Photo
Application
Narrative
Plans
Parking/Circulation Analysis
Statement of Direction
CC: Don Larry, Applicant