In the face of heavy opposition from the neighborhood, the Camelback East Village Planning Committee initially declined to recommend the project, located at the northeast corner of 21st Street and Turney Avenue, as presented to them at an Aug. 6 meeting. The project will go back to that body Jan. 9 (project area photo courtesy of 4401 Turney Villas, LLC).
A proposed high-density multi-family project that was opposed by neighbors and not recommended by the Camelback East Village Planning Committee (VPC) in August will head back to that body in January at the request of District 6 Councilman Kevin Robinson.
In the face of heavy opposition from the neighborhood, the VPC initially declined to recommend the project, located at the northeast corner of 21st Street and Turney Avenue, as presented to them at an Aug. 6 meeting. A revised project was presented to and approved by the Phoenix Planning Commission at an Oct. 10 meeting. The revised proposal reduced the unit count to 64 and modified the height along Turney and 21st Street from four stories to three stories; however, the interior of the project remained at four stories. After the neighborhood appealed the decision, the case was set to be heard by Council Nov. 13, but Robinson stepped in after meeting twice with the concerned neighbors.
In a Nov. 12 letter, the Planning Department presented a request on behalf of District 6 that application Z-74-24-6 be continued from Nov. 13 to the Jan. 22 city council formal meeting, “to provide the applicant additional time to engage with the community regarding their concerns and to present to the Camelback East Village Planning Committee at the January meeting for a recommendation.”
After the Nov. 13 meeting, Robinson said that his main reason for requesting the continuation was to further the conversation.
“I saw an opportunity for both sides to talk a little bit more and for me to understand the nuances of both sides,” he said. “Everybody has what I think are very valid positions. And I just wanted a little bit more time to pore over that information and give them an opportunity to move the needle a little bit. I don’t think that everyone’s going to be happy ultimately, but at least, maybe folks can get a little bit of what they’re asking for on both sides, but we’ll see.”
He added that, when the citywide goal to bring more housing online converges with the needs and concerns of existing residents, it is a delicate balance.
“That’s one of the reasons I spend as much time on these issues as I can. I realize it’s best for the city and its residents to have more housing. When there is more supply, the price of rent or mortgages go down. So, I try to look at what’s best for the community as a whole and what’s best for those specific communities.”
At every turn of this project, neighbors have said that they are not against neighborhood development, but they are asking the city to “stick to the plan.” That would be the city’s 2025 General Plan (PlanPHX 2025), which was approved by nearly 80 percent of voters in the Nov. 5 election. Under the heading of “Certainty & Character” on page 189 the plan mandates that the city “Ensure that development, redevelopment and infrastructure supports and reinforces the character and identity of each unique community and neighborhood.”
The proposed project does not meet that mandate, neighbors contend, and it is not “sensitive to the scale and character of surrounding neighborhoods” – as the recommendation in city staff report reads. So, the neighbors will make their case again to the VPC.
“The big push now is the fill that senior center up on the [7th], to where people are hanging out the door,” said John Paletta, who opposes the project as presented and is one of the organizers in the East Morningside Neighborhood. He reiterated, “We are not against development or developers. We have compromised in the past and we’ll compromise in this situation.” But the R-5 zoning the developer is seeking is a nonstarter for the neighborhood. “They could put anything in there,” Paletta added.
To other neighborhoods facing similar challenges, Paletta says neighbors need to engage with the process, “When you see a [rezoning] sign, you have to act immediately. You can’t wait until the Planning Commission hears the case.”
And Robinson’s message to future project developers, “Get out and work the community. Talk to the neighbors. Find out what their concerns are. I realize developers have a bottom line, but how can you explain that to a neighborhood that is worried about their standard of living…how their environment might change? As long as I can bring people together, have them talk, listen to both sides, it helps me arrive at a decision that is fair.”
The neighborhood will continue area outreach via postcard and social media to keep the momentum heading into January. Neighbors who would like to connect with the organizers may send an email to hellofromce@gmail.com.
The VPC will hear a revised case at its Jan. 7 meeting, with the Phoenix City Council set to hear the case Jan. 22. Visit www.phoenix.gov/cityclerk/publicmeetings/notices to find information about upcoming public meetings. The staff report for this case can be found at www.phoenix.gov/pdd/planning-zoning/pzservices/pzstaff-reports.
Editor’s note: The date of the Village Planning Committee meeting was updated to reflect the correct date of Jan. 7. We regret the error.
