Prescott Board of Adjustments denies 2-foot driveway setback variance at Pinnacle at Prescott Lakes

The Prescott City Board of Adjustments on March 20, 2025, denied variance V22009, a request to reduce the required garage setback from 22 feet to 20 feet for a proposed single-family home in Pinnacle at Prescott Lakes Unit 2 Phase 2b. Board member Mary Frederickson moved to deny; Tom Davis seconded, and the motion passed 5–1.

City Community Planner Tammy DeWitt told the board the subdivision is a planned area development that typically allows reduced lot sizes and setbacks but that the subdivision plat requires a 22-foot garage setback measured to the edge of curb to prevent vehicles from projecting into the public right-of-way. DeWitt said staff’s principal concern was that a two-foot reduction would increase the risk of larger pickup trucks, especially those with rear hitches, extending into the street where there is no sidewalk on that side of the block.

The applicant’s representative, Chad Devries of Southwest Sunset Homes, said the request was prompted by existing terracing and a newly constructed bottom retaining wall that tightened buildable area on Lot 39 and made the approved model home difficult to place without moving it forward. Devries said the house plans approved for the phase are limited, that Lot 38’s driveway is similar in length to the proposed Lot 39 driveway, and that the homeowners association’s architectural review committee and board had approved the variance. Jim Orr, a member of the Prescott Lakes Community Association board, testified the HOA reviewed and unanimously recommended approval and noted use restrictions in the gated community that limit driveway parking.

Several board members, including Frederickson and others, questioned whether the issue was a self-imposed hardship or a market/convenience request and urged redesign options. Board questions and staff testimony established that: the back yard would shrink from roughly 14 feet to about 12 feet if the house were pulled back to meet the 22-foot requirement; the subdivision includes multiple terrace retaining walls; and notices were mailed to property owners within 300 feet and one written concern was received and included in the packet.

City staff and the board also reviewed ARS 9-462.06, which governs variance criteria and disallows variances for special circumstances that are self-imposed by the property owner. After public comment and discussion, the board voted to deny the requested 2-foot setback reduction.

Because the board denied the variance, the applicant may revise building plans to meet the existing setback or pursue other options such as redesigning the house footprint or reconfiguring the lot layout with the HOA and city review processes.