Questions answered about construction market, Chandler pipeline
Courtesy of City of Chandler
Kevin Snyder, Chandler’s new development services director, takes questions from the Chandler City Council at a March study session. Council unanimously approved rezoning and a preliminary plan for a small west Chandler infill apartment complex but also had questions for Snyder about the city’s multi-family housing inventory.
A discussion about a small west Chandler development led to some newly public information about how well the city’s doing in more multi-family housing construction.
Kevin Snyder, Chandler’s development services director, took questions at a Chandler City Council study session March 24 about Nirvana at Ellis. That’s a 29-unit, 1.94-acre infill apartment complex, which council approved for rezoning and a preliminary plan three days later.
Snyder took questions from Council member Matt Orlando, who asked about how many multi-housing projects are in various stages of planning, permitting or construction.
Snyder said there are 1,839 planned, approved housing units in the Chandler system that await the developer / applicant to take the next steps before construction begins. He said about 2% are single-family units; the rest are multi-family.
“That’s good, and a little less than I believe were in the hopper maybe a year or so ago,” Orlando replied.
Snyder said yes, there has been some “absorption into the market” of finished homes, but there continue to be mortgage rate and construction financing problems that slow the process down.
“My staff is working with multiple departments and with the council to find more ways to bring these units to market,” Snyder said.
Snyder also said a housing assessment that will identify potential strategies and recommendations should be completed “this summer.” He said staff will recommend singular policy changes or incentives to council in the interim.
A developer of a large apartment complex next to the Nirvana at Ellis site, Paul Kerr, spoke at the March 27 Council meeting, asking if an earliest construction start time of 7 a.m. could be stipulated for the project. Mayor Kevin Hartke said SB 1182, which would allow 5 a.m. construction start times from May 1 to Oct. 15, seems likely to be passed into Arizona law this session.
The rezone of the 1.94-acre parcel is from mixed-use, commercial, office, and specialty retail to multi-family for Nirvana at Ellis. The plan amendment rezones the parcel from planned area development for commercial office to PAD for multi-family.
The complex’s parcel is located along South Ellis Street, about a half-block south of Frye Road. The applicant, Thomas Gardner, wants to build 29 apartments in two-story buildings on the infill site, located between two larger apartment complexes.
Snyder said the developer plans to start construction this summer.
In 2020, the parcel to the north of the site was rezoned to multi-family for what became Town Frye Luxury Apartments. This meant the wedge-shaped 1.94 acres became a “remnant parcel,” a staff report states — a commercially zoned property surrounded by multi-family developments on three sides.
The density would be 16 duplex units per acre. Setbacks will be limited — as little as 10 feet along the sides.
The maximum building height would be 21 feet. Drawings appear to show resident parking is in the form of 29 two-car garages on the ground level, with the living spaces above the garages.
The Chandler Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously recommended approval of the rezoning and preliminary plan at its Feb. 19 meeting, adding three stipulations that weren’t in the staff report.
All 29 units must be pre-wired for electric vehicle charging, for a minimum of two electric vehicle charging stations at the complex. Also, 50% of the trees along Ellis Street to have 48-inch boxes and be 12 feet tall at the time of planting.
Jason W. Brooks News Editor | Chandler Independent
Jason W. Brooks joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in July 2021 as an associate editor. After a year covering Buckeye, he has covered Chandler since the fall of 2022, in addition to assisting the Daily Independent throughout his time at INI.
Education: University of New Mexico, bachelor of arts in journalism and mass communication, print emphasis, English minor.
Random Fact: He and his siblings witnessed a Space Shuttle launch and landing in the same year in person, on opposite coasts.
Hobbies: Karaoke, bicycling and American Sign Language.
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