Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

want to call the uh planning and zoning meeting of Monday, April 14th at 6 p.m. to order. Uh we will have the invocation from Commissioner Thomas and then the pledge by Commissioner Yokum. Please rise if you're able to. Lord, we come to you just to say thank you. Thank you for the opportunity to meet in this lovely community of Maricopa and allow us to come together in meeting of the minds and hearts to take care of any zoning and planning commission business. We pray for all these things in your precious son's name Jesus Christ. Amen. I aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the stands. One nation under God, indivisible, liberty, justice for all. That'll take us to roll call. Commissioner Berems here. Commissioner Robertson here. Vice Chair Waters, Chair Singleton here, Commissioner Yokum here, Commissioner Clo here, and Commissioner Thomas here. We do have a quorum. Thank you. That'll take us to the call call to the public. If you wish to speak, please complete a speaker card and submit it to the chairman prior to the start of the meeting. The procedures to follow if you address the commission are commission requests that you express your ideas in three minutes or less and refrain from any personal attacks or derogatory statements about any city employee, a fellow citizen or anyone else, whether in the audience or not. The chairman will limit discussion whenever he deems such an action appropriate uh to the proper conduct of the meeting. I do not have any speaker cards. Is there anybody in the audience

that would like to speak? Seeing none, I will close the call to the public. That'll take us to item 4.1 minutes. I move to approve. Second. Okay. A motion by Commissioner Yokum and a second by Commissioner Thomas. All in favor say I. I. I. All opposed. That passes. This takes us to regular agenda item 5.1 P A24-07. This is a public hearing. The planning and zoning commission shall discuss a request by the Rose Law Group on behalf of Private Motorsports Group LLC to reszone approximately 263 acres of land from Industrial CI-2 to the Apex Motorsports Planned Area Development P A located at the northwest corner of Rston Road and State Route 238. This is for discussion only. take it away. Thank you, Chairman. Thank you, chairman, members of the commission. U as you stated, this is a request by Rose Law Group to reszone approximately 263 acres of land. Uh from county industrial to the Apex planned area development. If I could direct your attention to the vicinity map up there, the Apex property is outlined in yellow. You can see North Warren, North Warren Road to the west there. Uh Rston Road to the east, and it's just north of State Route 238. Uh this is an existing private motorsports club. It was approved through a conditional use permit by council back in 2017. Uh this evening, we are going to continue this to the April 28th uh 25 planning commission meeting uh for action. apologize. We are still working out a few of the minor details uh being

able to just button this up. Um we thought we would have it ready uh by last week and unfortunately we didn't get there. So we're going to continue this to the 28th and we'll be back before you with a full presentation uh applicant the whole u the whole thing from A to Z. So with that being said, uh this item is for discussion only. Staff will bring it back on uh April 25th 28th um for planning commission action. So that concludes my presentation. Uh chairman, I'll be happy to answer any questions that y'all might have. Thank you. Um this is a public hearing, so I will open the public hearing if there's anybody in the crowd that wants to speak to this. Seeing none, I will close the public hearing commission. This this is a recommendation. Do we need a motion and a vote to approve your recommendation? Chairman, um it is a discussion item only. Uh there is no need for action to continue it to the 28th. There's a recommendation before us. Oh, I'm sorry. The recommendation is in discussion only. So there is there is no motion or or voting on this. Commissioner Robertson, any other commissioners have any questions? Seeing none, we'll close this item out and we'll move on to agenda item 5.2, which is DRP2-03. This is just a planning commission update presented by Derek Shear, senior planner, will present major development review permit case DRP2-03, Maricopa Fieldhouse, Copper Sky. A request by the city of Maricopa for review of site, landscape, elevations, and phototric plans for a proposed athletics fieldhouse on approximately 4.9 acres of land within Panel County parcel number

510-12-014G within the city of Maricopa generally generally located at the southwest corner of Wesabolan Road and North Greythorne Drive. This is again for discussion only. Take it away, Derek. Thank you, chairman. Uh, commissioners, Derek Sher, uh, senior planner with the planning department, presenting the next case. Um, as it was read in by the chairman, this is an application, uh, for a development review permit DRP2-03 for the Maricopa Fieldhouse Copper Sky. This is anformational item. Uh, the applicant on the project is Regis Reed with the city of Maricopa Capital Projects Department. We also have David Mccleas, the uh recreation superintendent here to answer any questions that uh the commission may have. Um the location, as you can see on the vicinity map there, highlighted in yellow. Uh this is currently the uh Copper Sky Police substation hasn't been an active substation in a couple of years. Uh the recreation department is needing uh additional room uh for its facilities and is proposing to convert the copper sky police station police substation into a fieldhouse. Uh the renovations will occur inside the existing substation but then a 30,000 foot addition. Uh as we can see here in the big white box that you see a 30,000 foot multi-purpose fieldhouse. Uh basically this is a giant gymnasium. Uh it will have two fulls size basketball courts for mini uh can also be broken up into volleyball courts, pickle ball courts, uh just about anything you can do inside on a hardwood surface. Um uh maybe you know happening in there. Uh let me see. Let me get to the floor plan. My apologies. The floor plan is

not pulling up. It's hidden under the site plan. My apologies if we can imagine this uh in the commissioner's packets, but for the public um the floor plan, the existing uh substation uh is going to be divided up into lobby area, storage area. It's going to have a entrance uh bathroom at the lobby, but then also have uh male and female bathrooms. uh not locker rooms but bathrooms uh located sort of in that shaded area on the top right connecting to the u the white part of the building which is the large fieldhouse. So that area is being converted. It's going to be the storage for all the equipment that they're going to need for the nets, the balls, everything like that. Inside the uh fieldhouse you'll see uh the wooden floors with the painted lines but then also retractable bleachers inside. uh rather simple uh building but yet when we look at it architecturally uh the lower portion here on the left hand side and then on the right hand side on the bottom that's the existing substation the applicant is taking the architecture of that existing substation expanding it uh with the growth of that 30,000 square foot building bringing up the height so we can get to the height that we need for the indoor athletics uh for you know clearance for the balls and everything like that. uh mostly it's going to be constructed of uh uh metal varying colors that will match the existing uh building. And if we go back to the uh landscape plan here, what you see uh shaded is going to be new proposed landscaping around the facility. Everything else that you see that has the plain white background, that's all existing landscaping. So, we've got a a a number of new plantings going in. Uh everything will be planted and uh constructed to meet code as part of this development but not a part of this application. The city is abandoning uh the section of Martin

Luther King Jr. Boulevard right in front of the facility. It's basically going to start all the way at the right hand side that you see the connection uh where the new landscaping is and then head down to where it connects to North Greythorne. This area is going to be abandoned as right ofway, but it's still going to serve for parking for the overall um new fieldhouse and the Copper Sky facility. Uh the drive-through lanes will still look the same, but it's not going to be the roadway. We can't have the perpendicular parking pulling out onto the roadway. So, they're abandoning that to make that part portion a parking lot. Uh the proposal is going to meet uh is is appropriate to the function and of this site and is integrated with the existing future development of the site. Elevations and color combinations appear well integrated and complimentary and prior to approval uh the proposal will meet all requirements outlined in the zoning ordinance. Um notification letters were sent to property owners within 600 feet on March 26th. Uh the site the site was posted on March 27th and April 14th. Today we have the planning and zoning commission staff did receive one letter of opposition for the DRP. However, uh DRPs are administratively approved at the staff level once they meet all requirements under zoning. So support and opposition um while we take it uh we like to hear from the public. We put it into the official record. Um it's not anything that we can act on. As long as this development meets the zoning code u regulations is approved by right. uh any questions that the commissioners may have and again I have the recreation superintendent here to answer any technical questions that I I wouldn't be able to answer. Awesome. Thank you, Derek. Commissioners, any questions? Commissioner Club, thank you to the

chair. Derek, thank you for your presentation. Um and you brought up one of one of my questions. You answered one of my questions regarding M Martin Luther King uh Boulevard and the parking uh having primary parking on a on a through street. I saw that as a as a challenge. Um so uh I think that opens up some other opportunities that may kind of answers another one of my questions here. One of the challenges overall I like this. I think that it's it's a it's a much needed facility for our community architecturally. I think it's it's done very well and tastefully. It complements Copper Sky. It complements existing structures. Uh I think it they they've done a good job there. Where I have a concern is as a parent who at one point in my life had kids that played tournament ball. Um I see this as a great opportunity to showcase our our city um and bring tournaments here. Basketball, pickle ball, volleyball, wrestling, whatever. uh from Greater Phoenix, you know, Metro and and bring them down here, you know, for these tournaments, adding only 71 spaces. I've been to these tournaments where you get two or three or four things going on in in these community centers at one time and there's nowhere to park and um you know, only adding I I realize that Copper Sky parking is is adjacent to it, but we get events there as that expands more. Uh I I just see this being becoming a potential bottleneck. Um and I I think this the city really needs to look at at at you know how we can bring additional parking in here for those events. Um the second part of uh or the second question that I had was it's not really a question. It's more of a statement. I did notice that there's no uh and it's getting nitpicky. I get it

and it's still being defined uh in the design process, but there's no locker rooms. And I'm again also as a as a parent bringing other kids um you know having a 30,000 square foot facility and having you know uh small relatively small you know toilet facilities for potentially what could be a fairly large crowd uh I think is also a potential challenge. So other than that, I like I really like the project and I think it's much needed for the community. Thank you, Commissioner Club. Uh we do have David here. If David, you'd like to come up maybe answer some I know it's very I wouldn't say premature operational, but maybe answer the choices that were made about bathrooms versus uh full locker rooms. Yeah, I just wanted to comment quickly on what you mentioned about locker room. So there will actually be a line of lockers available. Um So there won't be no lockers. Uh we decided to go with a different design rather than having specific locker rooms with different showers, things like that. Um we just have um just available lockers um a safety concerns. There's going to be less people trying to steal from lockers because they're out in the open. Um we understand that people do need lockers though, so they're going to be available. Um there's also additional costs with having showers and things associated with that. But um with the use of this building, usually people are going to be using it, then they're going to be leaving, whether that's home or a hotel or elsewhere. So that's why we decided not to to introduce showers because of a space. Um but we do have, you know, those locker rooms available. So thank you. Any other commissioners have any comments? Commissioner Robertson. Uh Derek, this um on your neighborhood outreach, this one did not include a neighborhood meeting. I was wondering, is that normal for these type of

projects not to have a neighborhood meeting? Correct, Commissioner. Uh for the uh development review permit projects, uh it's only the site posting and the mailed notification. There isn't a neighborhood meeting. Right. However, if I could just add to that, Chairman, um, Commissioner Robertson, uh, when we went through the reszoning portion of this, we did have the neighborhood meeting and we had showed the site plan and the the general, uh, conceptual development plan through the beginning. So, Commissioner, the one person who uh took opposition, what what were his concerns or her concerns? The individual's concerns chair um chairman uh commissioner were that they enjoyed the police substation being there and um the security that they felt having that there uh and also felt that the activities and what's being proposed inside is already satisfied by what is in the main copper sky building being the the number of basketball courts and volleyball courts and things like that. Thank you. And I I just if I can note that I just learned I didn't realize that the substation hasn't been an actual substation staffed by the police for a couple of years now, but I guess it's sort of been serving that purpose uh in people's minds in the city, which is pretty good. Awesome. Thank you. Any other commissioners? So Derek, like you had mentioned, this is kind of early in the designs and everything like that. And I do echo Commissioner Club's concern of not having locker rooms, especially when we want to be that premier city and attract those tournaments. There needs to be places other than just a small bathroom for athletes to change. Um, but other

than that, I love that we're expanding the capabilities that can bring tournaments to the city. Um, and that this is just adding on to Copper Sky capabilities. Um, but that's all I have. Okay. Commissioner Robertson, would there be any um spectator facilities included or portable stuff that could be brought in if a tournament were to be held or does just open floor space or Yeah. So, we uh so there's going to be some bleachers along the edge, but we also have additional bleachers that we can roll in and out of where the storage is at. Um so, there's going to be significantly more seating than what's at Copper Sky per court. Um that's one of the bits of feedback that we get regularly at Copper Sky when we have um our youth sporting events is that there's not enough seating, but this facility will have um I I believe at least double per court for seating. So that that'll be um definitely taken into consideration with this. Will it be um will the will the courts design um kind of a multi-purpose court design where it could be pickle ball or basketball or volleyball or each time and and I guess second to that um can you run more than one event at a time? Sure. So each each uh there's going to be four full-size basketball courts, six volleyball courts, and 12 pickle ball courts. And in between all of them is going to be a curtain that can come down. So you might you could potentially have in one space, you know, one or two volleyball courts going in another space several pickle ball courts and then maybe two is basketball. So absolutely. Awesome. Thank you, Davis. Commissioner, just a comment that I uh I I share uh Commissioner Clor's concern about the parking. Uh, I think for the everyday use we it seems to me it would probably

be ample, but we when we do have tournaments there, who knows how many cars might be I don't know. I'm just throwing that out there as to we I think we want to look at the parking again. Awesome. Any other comments from commissioners? No. Awesome. Well, this is discussion only. There was no call to the public. So, uh, we will Thank you, Derek, for the presentation. You can speak. Oh, I can speak. Y. All right. Do you mind coming up to the microphone? Step up to the microphone, please. My name is Tom Weiss. I live in the Villages. Uh, lived here about eight years now. I'm a veteran and member of the American Legion and the VFW. And with them, I do the website for the BFW. And as you're probably aware, there is a um memorial park planned and about to be opened uh in the end of May. And we would like I'm not here officially for them. I just happen to be here. I'm getting a head start on community service hours because I'm taking your leadership program. So I would like to have consideration for the landscaping where the flags will be uh presented for all the military units that the the uh one of the drawing showed trees along the wall where we're going to have the flags. Consider that please. And also we'd like to be able to have access to the building uh for events uh bathrooms or whatever. Um, so I'm not here officially. I'll transmit this to the uh members that are um leading that program, but uh we're doing our dedication on May 24th, the Saturday, and then a flag raising on

Memorial Day uh the following Monday. Any questions of me? Thank you. If I could just add one small thing about the parking. I will say operationally we do at times there there could be a Saturday where we're running uh youth basketball over at Copper Sky and then you know on our fields there's a soccer tournament going and then at our our ball fields we've got you know baseball or softball tournament going and so uh the use that's already going to be happening at Copper Sky at times is going to be able to move over there. So, while in and of itself, I think it was 71 parking spaces may not be sufficient if this was a standalone building, um the the parking spots available at Copper Sky and the use that's already happening is going to be just moved over. And so, it again it may not seem like enough um but again, there's there's a lot of parking that um is already being used at Copper Sky for those uses. Thank you, David. Any other comments? Nope. Uh we will move to item six which is reports from commission andor staff. Thank you chairman. Um only thing to report this evening is um originally we were excuse me originally the intention was not to have a meeting on the 28th but um obviously with the continuence of the apex reszone this evening we will be back here uh two weeks from tonight um I believe it's two weeks from tonight um uh for that uh action item I just would point out that Um, I will not be here that evening. Uh, Rudy Lopez, the development director, uh, will be running the meeting that evening and, uh, presenting the Apex case. So, beyond

vacation and we didn't, didn't quite anticipate this. Um, chairman, that's all I have. Uh, thank you very much. Thank you. Uh, item seven, I don't think we need an e session, so that will take us to adjournment. Do I have a motion? We should be. Do I have a second? Second. All in favor say I. I. All opposed. We are adjourned.