CASA GRANDE — After years of inactivity, an empty “zombie” subdivision will be getting a makeover as builders made an appearance at Thursday’s Planning and Zoning Commission meeting.
During the meeting, there was a public hearing and consideration for Iplan Consulting on behalf of Century Communities for land use approvals within the Casa Vista Planned Area Development.
Casa Vista, which is located between Jimmie Kerr Boulevard and Selma Highway west of Mitchell Road, was platted and improved in 2007. Currently, multiple requests have been made by Richmond American Homes and Century Communities, which both own lots within Casa Vista.
“However, due to years of inactivity, there are certain areas that do have to be touched up,” city Planner Jim Gagliardi said.
According to the presentation, landscaping and drainage areas are missing materials per Casa Vista’s final landscape plan, the picnic and recreation areas require maintenance and some fencing needs to be repaired.
“All three builders (including a sister company) want to see those improvements complete sooner rather than later,” a representative from Iplan Consulting said.
The commission approved a housing product for the area consisting of five 40-foot-wide single- and two-story floor plans, each with three elevations and multiple color schemes, ranging from 1,971 square feet to 2,886 square feet for 95 lots.
A conditional use permit was also approved for a model home sales complex consisting of a 2,600-square-foot model home with a sales office and a temporary off-street parking area to be located at the northwest corner of Brooklyn Drive and Parker Lane.
Right down the road, Richmond American Homes was approved for a conditional use permit for a model home sales complex consisting of three model homes ranging from 1,812 to 1,862 square feet at Brooklyn Drive and Parker Lane.
A zone change requested by Mike Keck from single-family residential to multifamily residential for approximately 2.5 acres generally east of Schultz Street and north of McMurray Boulevard was also approved.
According to the agenda, all uses permitted or conditional in the multifamily residential zone district would be allowed, and approval of a major site plan would be required.
The project aims to create a multifamily apartment complex and address the growing need for multifamily residences.
“It might need some second story, but if the city was opposed to that we would do whatever the city felt was in the best interest of the community around,” Keck said.
During the meeting, a request for zoning text amendments relating to marijuana sites was approved.
The amendments revise the regulations that were adopted in 2011 and expand them to address both medical marijuana and adult use marijuana including cultivation facilities, infusion facilities and testing facilities.
“Essentially the only changes that we’ve made are to expand the code to allow adult use marijuana products and to eliminate the reference to medical marijuana and just more generalize it to marijuana products,” said Planning and Development Director Paul Tice.
The amendments were forwarded with a recommendation for adoption to the City Council.