By Mark Carlisle
Twitter: @mwcarlisle

The Glendale Planning Commission approved a general plan amendment and a rezone that allows an apartment complex, gas station and fast food restaurant to be built on a 10-acre property near the Glendale Municipal Airport. City Council must also approve the changes before they become official.

The plans for the site, at the southwest corner of 107th and Northern avenues, include a 74-unit luxury apartment complex with both one- and two-story units, a fast food restaurant with a drive-thru and an eight-pump gas station with convenience store and an automated car wash. Circle K is interested in building on the site.

The land is currently county land but is in the process of being annexed into Glendale.

“I think the area could use some luxury apartments,” said Commissioner Martin Nowakowski. “And if you ever drive down Northern, there’s not very many stops for gas stations or a convenience store just in that neighborhood. They have to travel just to, you know, get an ICEE for the kids or something like that. And fast food would be helpful in the area, too.”

Planning Chairman Gary Hirsch agreed.

“That area’s a little barren for services and goods among there,” Mr. Hirsch said, adding it would be nice to have a gas station near the 101 in that area.

The site is surrounded mostly by homes but the still-developing Glen Harbor Business Park is immediately to the east.

“To see the growing employment that’s happening right to our east and is going to continue to happen there hopefully pretty rapidly is pretty exciting,” said Ron Harris, a planner and architect with Norris Design LLC, representing the property owners, Garrett Neiffer and Gary Shaw of 107th and Northern LLC.

The proposed general plan change, which has been forwarded to City Council for final approval, seeks to allow for commercial use and for a denser residential use than is currently allowed. The apartment complex, which occupies 6.3 acres of the 10-acre property would be 11.7 units per acre. It is currently designated for 3.5-5 units per acre under the general plan. The rezone request would change the site’s zoning from Planned Shopping Center to a Planned Area Development to allow for the mix of residential and commercial use.

The initial rezone request allowed for up to 91 units at the apartment complex, but Mr. Nowakowski requested the applicant reduce it to 75 units, to which Mr. Harris agreed.

In the public outreach process, a resident to the west of the site complained about potential traffic, privacy and noise issues. Mr. Harris said his group held a neighborhood meeting where privacy was a chief concern among residents near the site. The developer agreed to change its site plan so the only two-story apartments were on the interior of the property and put one-story units on the edges so there would be less concern about these apartments being able to see into the property of the existing homes nearby. The site plan includes 42 two-story apartments and 32 one-story apartments.

One of the stipulations Glendale’s planning staff attached to the general plan and zoning changes is the developer must build a six-foot tall wall on the property’s edge next to any existing residences. The developer also plans an eight-foot tall wall separating the luxury apartments from the gas station and fast food restaurant on the property.

Other stipulations require the developer to build a six-foot wide sidewalk and streetlights along the property’s edge on 107th and Northern avenues and for turnaround areas to be included at gated driveways.

Mark Carlisle
Associate Editor | Daily Independent
@mwcarlisle

mcarlisle@iniusa.org

Mark is passionate about accurately informing his readers to what is happening in their community. He also loves reading and writing about sports. Mark has worked for Independent Newsmedia for five years. He married his high school sweetheart, adopted a boxer mix, and awaits his first child.