The industry is coining the term as kind of a leased residential community because they are single-story units.”

Sidney Urias, senior planner

By Richard Dyer
Twitter: @RHDyer

Rezoning 4.5 acres at the northeast corner of Superstition Boulevard and Main Drive to develop a 52-unit leased residential community should be approved, the city planning commission recently decided.

The Apache Junction Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously to recommend City Council approve a request by the Richard Lauver and Ariel Lauver Trust, represented by Dane Astle of Edifice Architecture.

“The industry is coining the term as kind of a leased residential community because they are single-story units,” Sidney Urias, senior planner, said to the commission at the April 14 meeting.

“So, the architecture of the project mimics a single-family home in terms of it being a single story, there is no one to the front or the rear view, no one to the top of view. Correction, there will be people to the side because of the clustering of the units, but it will be a leased product,” he said.

The gated community will have 54 uncovered parking stalls, 51 covered parking stalls and 17 garages, Mr. Astle, principal architect at Edifice Architecture, said in a letter to the city.

“The Villas on Superstition function more like a grouping of attached single-family buildings and are similar to a compact single-family subdivision offering amenities in a central area and community connection to its owners,” he said.

The rezoning is from general rural low density single-family detached residential to high density multiple-family residential. The applicant is also seeking a minor General Plan amendment from medium-density residential to high-density residential.

The community will not be age-restricted, internal driveways will be private and an entrance is proposed to be located along Main Drive, according to a city document.

Clusters of buildings of two, four or six units are shown on the submitted site and landscape plan. The units will face the amenity area in the center. The applicant has asked that setbacks be reduced from 20 feet to 15 feet, Mr. Urias, senior planner, said.

“Part of the amenity package that the applicant has proposed is a pool, along with cabanas, a barbecue area, a grass area in the center and also a tot lot for children,” he said.

Commissioner Michael McGraw, attending the meeting by phone, asked why the applicant was shrinking the setbacks.

“The applicant just needed a decrease on that 5-foot setback to still provide a rear yard for the residents on the north side of the development,” Mr. Urias said.

Maintaining the landscaping and amenities will me paid by people leasing the units, similar to an HOA, the architect, Mr. Astle, said to the commission.

“It’s all within the lease... That’s part of their cost monthly,” he said.

“Basically this is just like an apartment complex. They’re paying rent,” Chair Tess Nesser, the only commission member at the dais, said.

Richard Dyer
Managing Editor | East Valley
@RHDyer

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.