Apache Junction council rejects 3-story multifamily rental community permit

By Richard Dyer
Mail | X: @RHDyer

The Apache Junction City Council voted to deny a conditional-use permit for a 300-unit, three-story multifamily residential rental development near the southeast corner of Idaho Road and the Scenic Street alignment.

The affordable housing rental community — with rents $1,262 for a one-bedroom unit to $1,950 for a four-bedroom unit including utilities — would have used Section 42 low-income housing tax credit program, which allows developers to offer affordable housing to residents earning up to 60% of the area’s median income.

The development proposed 14 three-story buildings with 48 one-bedroom, one-bath units; 132 two-bedroom, two-bath units; 84 three-bedroom, two-bath units; and 36 four-bedroom, two-bath units. Parking was to include 370 surface spaces and 300 covered parking stalls.

The 13-acre property is zoned city center or B-3 and is in the general plan’s downtown mixed-use area, both of which allow multifamily uses.

A multifamily use in B-3 requires a conditional-use permit, Development Services Director Rudy Esquivias said during the council’s Feb. 4 meeting.

“The B-3 zoning is appropriate for the downtown mixed-use (area) but within the specifics of the B-3 zoning a lot of uses are allowed outright. Some of the ... uses that perhaps should be carefully planned, more carefully thought out, those require a conditional use permit. This type of multifamily project is one of those land uses that falls under the CUP category whereas many, many, many other uses would be allowed outright including retail and offices and hospitals and shops and restaurants and things like that,” he said.

The permit request by Roers Cos. was denied in a 5-2 vote Feb. 3. Dissenting were council members Peter Heck and Tess Nesser.

Councilmember Bambi Johnson made the motion to deny the permit.

“I do not believe there is an adequacy of roadway off-street parking, public facilities and services to accommodate the proposed use at this time,” she said.

Following the vote, Wilson said the city’s general plan needs to be modified.

“I think we need to look at the general plan ... and possibly go back to the voters as to what they want in this area,” he said.

Public comment

Three people spoke in favor of apartments and 15 spoke against the development over 50 minutes of public comment at the council meeting.

“Roers (Cos.) project will attract more young people and young families to downtown AJ. As they move up in their career, their salaries may get too high for Roers ... and they will move to a permanent home or rent one of the other communities in downtown,” said Karl Huish, managing director for Bela Flor Enterprises LLC. “I expect that many of the residents at Roers will eventually rent at my Bella Norte or Skyline project as their family grows and their household income exceed that which is permitted under the HUD rules.”

Donna Car of Apache Junction said she was opposed to the development.

“For one, the traffic is going to be a problem,” she said. “I don’t think any apartment belongs in that area because it would make that area too congested... I think it would be better used to put restaurants or gift shops — something like that in there — that will catch the tourists as they are coming and they are going, or for people to stop to be able to have a bite to eat coming back from Canyon Lake.”

David Day of Apache Junction said there is no infrastructure in the area to support the development.

“I’m opposed basically on the grounds there is no infrastructure. Are you going to come to us in six months after you build this and say ‘Hey, we have to raise your taxes because we need a new ladder truck because we have these three-story apartment complexes or we need a new fire station or we need more police or we need more roads.’ Fix your infrastructure before you build your city,” he said.

Richard H. Dyer can be reached at rdyer@iniusa.org, or on X @rhdyer. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines, https://www.yourvalley.net/civility-checklist/.

Richard Dyer
Managing Editor | East Valley

rdyer@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.