Carefree DRB approves final site plan for Parcel A neighborhood commercial center

The Development Review Board on June 9 approved the final site plan for case no. 24‑12‑SP, Parcel A of the project the applicant referred to as “Carefree Quarter,” allowing the developer to move toward building permits for a neighborhood commercial center on about 10.5 acres at the northeast corner of Carefree Highway and Cave Creek Road.

The board’s approval follows a lengthy staff presentation and public comment focused on materials, signage, shade and on-site parking. Stacy, a town planning staff member, told the board the review is limited to “objective standards adopted previously by the town” and pointed the group to the 2018 rezoning ordinance and the town’s commercial design guidelines that govern site layout, parking and landscaping. “We’re here this afternoon to discuss, potentially make an action on case number 24 12 SP, which is, Parcel A for Carefree Quarter,” Stacy said during the presentation.

Why it matters: parcel A is the first of three parcels in a Special Planning Area rezoned in 2018; its development is tied to a developer agreement that links certain reimbursements to sales tax performance. The project is expected to generate sales tax revenue for the town and to set a visual precedent for the remaining parcels in the planning area, a point several board members and members of the public emphasized.

Key facts and conditions - Site size and…