Show Low panel approves 96‑unit Summit Trail apartment project amid traffic, access concerns

The Show Low Planning and Zoning Commission approved a conditional use permit for a 96‑unit apartment complex at the northeast corner of U.S. 60 and Summit Trail on May 13, voting 4‑0 to allow the Hampton Group Inc. to proceed subject to staff conditions and coordination with affected homeowners association(s).

Staff presented the application and recommended approval, describing a conceptual plan for 10.25 acres with eight buildings (six two‑story apartment buildings, one clubhouse and a maintenance facility), approximately four acres of open space, and a unit mix of 24 studios, 48 one‑bedroom units and 24 two‑bedroom units. "Staff recommends that the Planning and Zoning Commission approve Conditional Use Permit 602‑04‑274," city planner Celine said during the staff presentation.

The project site was designated a planned unit development in 1986 (Ordinance No. 257) and was rezoned from PUD to C‑2 general commercial by Ordinance No. 2008‑06 on May 21, 2008. That 2008 ordinance includes a 35‑foot no‑build buffer along the east side of the property; the applicant’s plan places the nearest building about 74 feet from Snow Creek subdivision’s west property line. Staff noted the development must meet city code requirements for the R‑2‑7 residential standards, outdoor lighting controls and drainage design.

Concern from residents centered on traffic, emergency access and local impacts from concentrating driveway access on Summit Trail rather than U.S. 60. "Summit Trail is a very short road. It's 3‑tenths of a mile, and it ends at no outlet," said Marceline Camus, a Snow Creek resident, summarizing a common theme in public comment about limited egress. Several neighbors asked why the project does not include an access onto U.S. 60 as the existing Elk Ridge apartments do.

City staff said an ADOT traffic study is required because the site abuts U.S. 60 and that any ADOT‑required improvements must be implemented by the applicant. "Any requirements based on that study and from ADOT would have to be implemented as part of this project," staff said in response to commissioner questions. The staff report also notes transmittals to affected agencies and that ADOT requested a traffic impact statement to determine whether a full traffic impact analysis is required.

Don House, managing director of the Hampton Group, told the commission that ADOT had expressed safety concerns about providing access directly on U.S. 60 at the proposed location, citing the need for acceleration/deceleration lanes and grading constraints at the highway elevation. Addressing whether units would be short‑term rentals, House said, "We do not participate in those programs, and the residents there sign leases that generally are around 1," indicating intent to rent to longer‑term tenants rather than operate VRBO‑style short‑term rentals.

Residents requested additional mitigation in conditions of approval, including stronger screening and a combination of a solid wall plus tree‑line buffer in the 74‑foot setback area, limits on construction hours, and attention to intersection lighting at U.S. 60 and Summit Trail. Staff said construction start times are governed by city code (no construction before 7 a.m.; work can continue to 10 p.m. under current code) but that the commission could add more restrictive hours as a condition.

The commission’s approval was moved and seconded; the motion included staff recommendations and a stipulation that the developer meet with the Snow Creek Homeowners Association on fence design and to follow ADOT guidance resulting from the traffic study. The motion carried 4‑0. The city clerk’s office will accept appeals from an aggrieved person during a seven‑day appeal period, after which the city council would hear any appeal.

Copies of the staff report and the conceptual site plans were on file with the planning department. The commission’s approval applied only to the plan presented at the public hearing; any materially different or additional development on the property would require a separate application and public review.