Luxury-home living is planned at the 52-unit leased residential community of Villas on Superstition at the northeast corner of Superstition Boulevard and Main Drive.
A rezoning and General Plan …
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Luxury-home living is planned at the 52-unit leased residential community of Villas on Superstition at the northeast corner of Superstition Boulevard and Main Drive.
A rezoning and General Plan amendment were approved in a unanimous vote of the City Council on May 19. Councilmember Christa Rizzi was not at the meeting.
“So for anyone watching at home or just getting a glimpse of this, we did not just approve the apartment building by the roundabout. That is a different one; it’s not as popular as this one,” he said.
Villas on Superstition
Richard Lauver and Ariel Lauver Trust, represented by Dane Astle of Edifice Architecture, applied for a rezoning of 4.5 acres from general rural low density, single-family detached residential to high density, multiple-family residential. They also sought a General Plan amendment from medium-density residential to high-density residential.
Stagecoach Trails is to the north, Ironwood Self-Storage to the east, and residential and commercial zoned land are to the south and west.
The community will not be age-restricted, internal driveways will be private and an entrance is proposed to be located along Main Drive, according to a city document.
“All units will be forward-facing the amenity area. The applicant has provided covered parking throughout; central pool and cabana area as well as a tot lot; and also garages on the east side of the development that are first-come, first-served for their residents,” Sidney Urias, senior planner, said to the council.
Each unit will have its own private yard as detailed in the site plan, he said.
“The applicant has provided four-sided architecture in all elevations. We have a varying roof-line with multiple material types and the staff is supportive of these elevations provided,” Mr. Urias said.
Vice Mayor Chip Wilson asked about a block wall planned on the east side going past a power pole.
A continuous wall is planned on the east side with a wall jog for the existing power line, Mr. Urias said.
Councilmember Jeff Struble asked what the maximum height of the building could be.
“Under this zoning district designation, RM-1, I believe it’s 40 feet,” Mr. Urias said. “What the applicant is proposing is just a single-story product type.”
Mr. Struble asked if the elevations provided will be constructed.
“Is this what we can expect to be built? Or can something later on, once they get the zoning, sell the property and somebody else comes in and makes a change and then would we have the ability to restrict them to the lower heights still or would they be able to do the 40-foot buildings?” he asked.
That has been addressed in a condition of approval, that the rezoning is contingent on the exhibits presented, Mr. Urias said.
Councilmember Robin Barker asked Mr. Astle of Edifice Architecture to define the word luxury, which was used in the application.
“The intention is just to make clear that we’re not setting this up for a lower-income-type product. We had some discussions with one of the neighbors in Stagecoach Trails to the north and it was a concern that this might be a lower-rent project and it’s not intended to be,” he said.
“The materials used on both the exterior and the interior are intended to represent the more-luxury product, which is why we’ve written it up that way, Mr. Astle said.
It is a for-rent, leased product, he said.
“Providing a different variety of housing for the area,” Mr. Astle said. “We’re very excited about this development and look forward to it.”
Richard Dyer Managing Editor | East Valley @RHDyer
Richard Dyer has worked at Independent Newsmedia, Inc.. USA, since 1987.
Since 2009, he has worked as a volunteer to design The Blue Guitar Magazine, Blue Guitar Jr. magazine and Unstrung magazine, which are projects of The Arizona Consortium for the Arts; and since 2014, has been overseeing the art submissions.
He also is an artist of welded-steel sculptures, selling his artwork at juried and non-juried art shows
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