Peoria panel recommends council approve 72‑unit multifamily project at 80th and Northern after split vote

The City of Peoria Planning and Zoning Commission on Aug. 21 voted 4‑1 to recommend that City Council approve a minor general plan amendment (GPA24‑07) and a rezoning (Z24‑07) that would allow a 72‑unit, two‑story multifamily complex on a roughly 5‑acre parcel between 80th Avenue and Northern Avenue. The commission’s recommendation forwards the cases to council for final action.

Senior Planner Sarah Dirks told the commission the site is a long, narrow infill parcel (about 165 feet wide) wedged between a charter school to the east and single‑family neighborhoods to the west; an SRP power line corridor runs north of the site. The application requests a general plan change from Traditional Residential (2–5 dwelling units per acre) to Urban Residential (12+ dwelling units per acre) and a rezoning from Convenience Commercial (C‑1) to multifamily (RM‑1) to permit a two‑story, 34‑foot building with 72 apartments (48 one‑bedroom and 24 two‑bedroom units). The applicant proposes 162 parking stalls (about 30 more than the city minimum), two points of access on 80th Avenue, amenity areas and a dog run.

Dirks said right‑of‑way dedications and required land‑use buffers reduce the developable footprint; the plan includes a 15‑foot planted street frontage and a landscaped buffer on the rear to provide separation from adjacent lots. The applicant also proposes two gated access points: a one‑way exit negotiated with the adjacent school to the north for school pick‑up circulation, and a southern emergency/fire access.

At the neighborhood meeting and in two written letters of opposition, nearby residents raised concerns about traffic, parking overflow, density, privacy, safety and possible effects on property values. Staff said the traffic division reviewed the application and estimated trip generation using standard Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) rates: roughly 28 vehicle trips during the AM peak and about 36 during the PM peak for the proposed multifamily use. The traffic engineer noted that typical commercial development on the same site could generate roughly five to ten times more peak‑hour traffic and that the city will run a traffic signal warrant analysis for the intersection this fiscal year if warranted.

Commission discussion touched on buffering and school safety, utility and site plan review (an administrative review to follow rezoning), parking supply (the proposal exceeds minimums), and whether the school district provided comment (staff said the district received notice but did not return comments). Several commissioners asked that staff and the applicant refine access details and that the application include improved sidewalks for student safety.

Vice Chair Phyllis (recorded as moving) made the motion to recommend approval of GPA24‑07 to City Council; the motion passed 4‑1. A separate motion to recommend approval of Z24‑07 (rezoning) subject to the conditions in Exhibit 1 also passed 4‑1. The record shows the commission’s actions were recommendations to City Council (final approval of the general plan amendment and rezoning rests with council). The vote tally on both items was recorded as 4 yes, 1 no.

If council approves the requests, the project must still complete the city’s site‑plan and engineering review process, secure any required utility upgrades and finalize access agreements with the adjacent school; staff said those items will be addressed in the administrative site‑plan review and engineering permitting phases.