Mesa council raises parking and garage-size concerns for Sienna Ridge PAD amendment

Mesa City Council members on Aug. 18 pressed staff for more data on a proposed Sienna Ridge planned area development (PAD) amendment that would reduce minimum garage dimensions, saying smaller garages risk pushing cars into neighborhood streets.

Vice Mayor Summers led the questioning, saying, "Why are we shrinking garage sizes?" Summers noted the site is car-oriented, near a freeway and not well served by transit, and warned that smaller garages could cause spillover parking onto Ninetieth Street and other nearby public rights-of-way.

Planning staff member Evan said the site was rezoned in 2023 and that the developer is currently seeking permits. He described the amendment as "a reduction in the garage dimensions," explaining there are four floor plans: plans 1 and 2 would have garages about 19 feet 2 inches wide by 20 feet deep, and plans 3 and 4 would be roughly 25 feet by 20 feet. Evan noted the city code requires a 20-by-22-foot garage and that the smaller options reduce the depth that staff had intended for storage and mechanical equipment placement.

Councilmember Pillsbury, who encouraged consistency in minimum dimensions, said the council should avoid repeated exceptions and consider whether established minimums remain appropriate as vehicle sizes change. Pillsbury argued for retaining consistent policy unless an application shows an unusual justification.

Councilmember Goforth and others asked for additional context: how many units are proposed, how many guest spaces the site includes, and whether on-street parking would absorb overflow. Evan said the project is 29 units and that the site provides slightly more than the required 2.1 parking spaces per unit; councilmembers counted approximately 16 guest parking spaces on the site plan. Staff also advised that Ninetieth Street is a county-maintained public street that allows on-street parking, but several councilmembers emphasized they did not want public streets to be relied upon as a private development's parking solution.

Evan and another staff member said they would provide a comparison table of garage-dimension standards from nearby jurisdictions before the council’s Aug. 25 meeting; Evan said Phoenix standards are around 9.5 feet by 19 feet for a standard stall, information he would include in a summary for the council.

Councilmembers expressed particular concern that the reduction—most acute in plans 1 and 2—could make it difficult for some full-size SUVs and trucks to fit comfortably with storage and utility equipment in the garage, increasing the chance residents would use guest spaces or public streets. Staff noted that plans 3 and 4 exceed dimensional area requirements and present fewer concerns.

The council left the item on the consent/introductory schedule for the next meeting but directed staff to return with jurisdictional comparisons and additional analysis ahead of the Aug. 25 meeting.

The discussion focused on standards and implementation rather than a final action; no ordinance or ordinance amendment was adopted at the Aug. 18 session.