A two-story, 16-unit duplex development is planned for the southwest corner of West Superstition Boulevard and North Plaza Drive in Apache Junction adjacent to Lost Dutchman RV Resort.
The city’s planning and zoning commission on June 27 voted 6-0 to recommend that the Apache Junction City Council approve a rezoning request by John Fox of William Seymour Co. Inc. for approximately .92 net acres. The rezoning is from medium density single-family detached residential to high density multiple-family residential by planned development. Commissioner Frank F. Schoenbeck was absent.
“I think it’s probably perfect for right there, being it’s right next to the RV park. Most — probably 99% of people — wouldn’t build a single house there and live there,” Commissioner Ari Kalan said prior to the vote.
“I tend to agree. The way it’s currently zoned it’s going to be a tough sell to get like a single-family home in there. It’s obviously been vacant for a large period of time,” Chair Dave Hantzsche said prior to the vote.
The city council is to review the rezoning request at a study session July 17 and vote on it Aug. 1.
The property is in the city’s downtown mixed-use area as designated by the general plan, which discourages single-family residential developments, Planner Nicholas Leftwich said at the commission meeting.
“The property is currently zoned for just one single-family home. However, it is bordered on the south and the west sides by an RV park; and then on all of the opposite corners and across the street it is surrounded by commercial. With this it makes the current zoning a little bit of an outlier in the area,” he said.
Eight two-story buildings with two two-bedroom units in each building are planned. There are to be 34 parking spots — one garage parking space for each unit and the other 18 as uncovered spaces, according to a written staff report.
The primary duties of the planning and zoning commission include community contact regarding items including a zoning change request, to an application from a developer for a shopping center development or housing project. Also included are conditional use permits with the final decision being handled at the planning and zoning commission level, according to the city’s website.
Richard H. Dyer can be reached at rdyer@iniusa.org, or on Twitter @rhdyer. To voice your opinion on this story, connect with us at AzOpinions@iniusa.org.
Richard Dyer Managing Editor | East Valley @RHDyer
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.
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