The America First Credit Union office is to be constructed in an existing commercial center.
City of Mesa
The America First Credit Union is to be constructed at 4354 E. Baseline Road in Mesa.
City of Mesa
The America First Credit Union office with drive-thru teller machines is to be constructed in an existing commercial center and have primary hours of operation of 9 a.m.-6 p.m. weekdays with 24-hour drive-thru services.
A building will be demolished and an America First Credit Union constructed west of Greenfield Road on the north side of Baseline Road in Mesa.
The Mesa Board of Adjustment on March 6 voted 6-0 in a consent agenda with other items to approve a substantial conformance improvement permit to allow deviations from certain development standards for a financial institution in the limited commercial zoning district. Board member Chris Jones was not at the meeting.
Access to the site will be a driveway from Greenfield Road with cross access connecting to an adjacent shopping center, Staff Planner Charlotte Bridges said during a study session prior to the meeting.
The substantial conformance improvement permit request is for the distance from the entrances to the cross drive aisles. The code requires a 50-foot distance from the property line and one aisle is 41 feet 7 inches and the other is 40 feet, she said.
“A total of eight parking spaces are required; 24 parking spaces are provided on site. The applicant will be requesting an administrative-use permit for the increased number of parking spaces through the site-plan review process. And then the site plan shows the separate drive-thru ATMs to the north,” Bridges said.
Rick Magness of Anderson Whalen & Associates is the applicant. America First Federal Credit Union is the owner.
The AFCU Credit Union office with drive-thru teller machines is to be constructed in an existing commercial center and have primary hours of operation of 9 a.m.-6 p.m. weekdays with 24-hour drive-thru services, Magness, entitlement manager/land planner, wrote in a project narrative.
“An existing building will be demolished to allow for new construction. The proposed building and drive-thru will be located within the existing retail center. The drive-thru will be located at the north end of the site lot to maximize vehicular accessibility as well as screening from the adjacent roadways,” it states.
“An administrative-use permit is requested to allow for 24 proposed parking spaces of which 10 is allowed — 125%. A typical AFCU branch has up to 11 employees at one time as well as an equal number of customers during the same time,” Magness said in the project narrative.
The seven-member board conducts public meetings to hear and decide requests for variances, special-use permits and interpretations of the city of Mesa zoning ordinance and sign code. Members are appointed for staggered terms of three years, according to the city’s website.
Richard H. Dyer can be reached at rdyer@iniusa.org, or on X @rhdyer. To voice your opinion on this story, connect with us at AzOpinions@iniusa.org.
Meet Richard Richard Dyer has worked at Independent Newsmedia Inc. USA since 1987, starting his career in Apache Junction as a copy editor and being promoted over the years to work as the editor of the Mesa Independent, news services editor for the East Valley office in Apache Junction, managing editor for the East Valley office, news services editor for the East Valley office and eventually also for the newspapers at INI’s then-Chandler office, managing editor again and as a news editor covering Apache Junction/Gold Canyon and Queen Creek. He helped start the Florence Independent while the news editor covering Apache Junction and Mesa news. In January 2023, he became associate managing editor for the East Valley newspapers and in August 2023 became managing editor for the East Valley newspapers of Chandler/Tempe, Gilbert, Queen Creek, Florence, Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon, while also reporting on Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon.
Community: 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.
Education: University of Arizona with a master of arts in journalism and a bachelor of science in agricultural communication. Also continuing education at Mesa Community College in welding in a metal art sculpture class.
Random fact: Saw his first tornado on May 31, 2010, which was classified as an EF-2, as part of a stormchasing tour group.
Hobbies: He is an artist of welded-steel sculptures, selling his artwork at juried and non-juried art shows.
By 
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here