Maricopa County planners recommend 10-year special-use permit for youth basketball gym after neighborhood limits agreed

The Maricopa County Planning and Zoning Commission voted 8-0 on Sept. 25 to recommend approval of a special-use permit for a youth basketball training operation on a county island north of Ray Road in the Gilbert area, with conditions limiting class size, hours and parking.

Commission staff told the commission the request, SU250019, seeks to legalize an existing indoor basketball training operation by permitting activity in a 3,640-square-foot gym on a property of just over 1 acre. Staff recommended a 10-year approval to allow monitoring of compliance and required the homeowner to obtain a commercial-occupancy building permit for the gym if the SUP is granted.

The applicant, represented by Greg Davis of iPlan Consulting, said the business (KC Elite) began in 2019 and expanded during the COVID-19 period. Owner-operator Kenny Crandall told the commission the program provides one-hour training sessions for groups of one to 12 children and that the business typically operates Monday–Thursday afternoons and evenings during the school year and Monday–Friday during summer and school breaks. He said sessions are often carpooled and that the operation has worked with neighbors to reduce dust and access issues.

Neighbors who spoke acknowledged improvements but raised concerns about traffic, vehicle speeds, and evening hours on an unlit rural road without sidewalks. Neighbor Bill Vogelsang said his primary concern was evening hours and called for daytime-only operation; John Long said traffic could total dozens or hundreds of vehicle trips on some days and urged controls on parking.

In response, the applicant agreed to several written restrictions: a limit of 12 participants per session (the county code allows up to five for a home-based operation), prohibition of outdoor training, restriction of the gym to the named basketball training use only, and measures to discourage on-street parking (signage and communication with parents). The applicant requested a parking reduction from the code-required 15 spaces to a configuration that accommodates up to about 6–10 cars on the north boundary, including an ADA space; the applicant said the maximum number of cars on site at one time is usually far lower than the code assumption.

Commissioners discussed neighborhood outreach, the paving of a private road segment to address dust, and a willingness to add speed-control signage or speed bumps. Commissioner Hernandez moved to recommend approval with revised stipulations F2 and F3 (adjusting class end times) and an added stipulation G2 prohibiting on-street parking; Commissioner Rockwallick seconded. The commission recorded an 8-0 vote to recommend approval.

Under the revised conditions, the last scheduled class will end at 9:00 p.m. with all participants and vehicles vacating the site by 9:30 p.m.; the SUP will be limited to the north portion of the parcel that contains the gym and will include the operational limits described above. Staff noted the SUP also requires the owner to bring the gym into current code for commercial occupancy if approved.

The commission’s recommendation now goes to the next step in the county’s review process for final action.

A number of neighbors and the applicant emphasized ongoing communication; commissioners said they expect staff and the owners to return to the commission if conditions are not met.