The Glendale Planning Commission gave the thumbs up for apartments to be built in the New River Channel northwest of Loop 101 and Bell Road, as long as federal regulators say it won’t cause flooding issues.

The Planning Commission approved general plan and zoning changes to switch the 16-acre property’s authorization from office space to high-density residential, pending approval from City Council.

One of the key stipulations the commission attached is that any changes to the river must have preliminary approval from FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The developer must submit a Conditional Letter of Map Revision to FEMA, Glendale and Peoria for the property that sits on the Glendale-Peoria border and it will need to obtain an updated Flood Insurance Rate Map from FEMA.

The project, to be called Glendale Bell 101, plans for 418 apartments in four buildings. One building will be three stories; the rest will be four stories. Glendale has capped building heights for the project at 60 feet. About 40% of the property will be open space. The complex will include two pools, a clubhouse, multiple ramadas, playgrounds and dog parks. It will also include a trail along the channel that connects 83rd Avenue at the north of the property to Bell Road at the south of the property.