Two changes to the Phoenix Zoning Ordinance were approved by the Planning Commission Thursday, dealing with two different properties on Garfield Street and on Fillmore Street.
At the meeting, the commission heard and voted on different propositions on rezoning and amendments for rezoning. Nick Wood, a partner with Phoenix law firm Snell & Wilmer, proposed two Text Amendments that would, he said, improve downtown Phoenix as well as the two proprieties.
“This is going to be one of the largest projects in downtown Phoenix covering over 1.7 million-square-feet,” he said.
The first amendment dealt covers the property at Sixth Street and Garfield. Wood’s proposal would change the Downtown Code Density map from a maximum of 218 dwelling units per acre to having a no density limit.
Alongside the property, Wood said he also hopes to amend Evans Churchill East Development Standards to create more height, as well as to increase lot coverage from 50% to 90%.
Lachele Mangum, a member of the City of Phoenix Planning Commission, motioned to approve and support the first text amendment. It was not met with any public comments.
In addition to the amendment for the Garfield Street property, the commission also approved the second text amendment proposed by Wood for the property on Second Avenue and Fillmore.
Wood said the purpose of the amendment is to change the height provisions approximately 200 feet south of the southeast corner of Second Avenue and Fillmore.
Wood also requested a replacement of the Downtown Code Height Map in order to increase the maximum height of 525 feet to 540 feet on this property and move the Taylor Street Pedestrian Paseo approximately 100 feet north of the required alignment.
Ryan Boyd, a member of the Urban Phoenix Project, opposed the second text amendment, and said at the meeting that (he and the Urban Phoenix Project) see this amendment as “basically spot zoning.”
“The city of Phoenix is not required to amend its zoning code for a specific design that a developer wants,” he said.
For Boyd, an easy way to fix what Wood was proposing is getting rid of one floor of parking on that property. But for Nico Howard, a member of the commission, that parking floor is too valuable to be replaced.
Boyd said the property location is close enough to the light rail and bus stations that knocking out that floor wouldn’t have much effect on downtown.
Howard, however, was still convinced that parking downtown is still very important, as it shouldn’t be something that can be “looked over” and that parking is still necessary for those who do not want to take public transportation.
“From a development perspective, it’s really tough to get rid of parking,” Howard said.
Boyd also brought up that he is concerned about the streetscape and how this project could influence that environment. Widening Second Avenue, Boyd said, creates problems for the downtown streetscape.
Also according to Boyd, the amendment would destroy already created streetscape improvements and would halt the connectivity of downtown Phoenix. While he said there is potential for this project to be improved, it needs to be done without destroying the streetscape and making sure downtown is still easily accessible and walkable for residents.
The downtown development codes are meant to “give us a city that is connected, like a connected oasis,” he said.
Editors Note: Ryan Boyd is a former columnist for Downtown Devil. He was not involved in the reporting of this article.
Contact the reporter at tplach@asu.edu.
