Prescott Valley planning panel backs two Robert Road duplex rezones with conditions

The Prescott Valley Planning and Zoning Commission on Aug. 11, 2025, voted unanimously to recommend that Town Council approve two zone map changes (ZMC25-002 and ZMC25-003) to allow duplexes on two Robert Road parcels, subject to conditions including separate driveways, replacing plastic landscaping sheeting with permeable fabric, specifying swale rock sizes, and continuing an existing block wall along one lot.

The recommendation moves the Robert Road duplex proposals to the council for final action; commission members and staff framed the items as “missing middle” housing that meets current zoning allowances but that must be reconciled with a 2000 council condition that envisioned professional offices for some parcels.

Ernest Ruby, Development Services deputy director, told the commission the two parcels would each host a two-story duplex with each livable unit slightly more than 1,400 square feet, a maximum building height proposed at 25 feet, front setbacks of 25 feet, 20-foot rear setbacks and 3-foot side setbacks. Ruby said the parcels are south of Domino’s on Robert Road, west of multifamily zoning, and that a small corner of one parcel falls within the floodplain; the town’s floodplain administrator advised the project can proceed if no grading takes place in that area.

Ruby said utilities requirements include separate water meters and separate sewer connections for each unit, that the buildings fall below the square-footage threshold requiring fire sprinklers (so sprinklers are not required), and that fire alarms and carbon-monoxide detectors will be provided. He said the developer and staff discussed a six-foot solid screen wall and dense landscaping to reduce impacts on single-family homes behind the site.

Vice Chair Ted Erb, a 35-year fire-service veteran, urged the developer to consider voluntary residential sprinklers, noting that “residential and multifamily, structure fires are the leading cause of death and injury in this country by a long shot.” Erb moved to approve the two zone map changes with conditions; the motion passed unanimously.

Applicant Mark Stanley addressed technical landscaping items during the hearing, agreeing that the project will replace plastic Visqueen with landscaping fabric that allows water transmission, correct plant placement in driveways, and install larger, angular swale rock — changes staff and commissioners had requested. Ruby and the applicant also said the project would provide hammerhead turnarounds on each parcel and that the town’s traffic engineer favored separate driveways to spread turning movements rather than concentrate them at the Domino’s driveway; the commission asked staff to verify sight distances given a slight vertical curve at the driveway locations.

For ZMC25-002 (the parcel adjacent to Domino’s), the commission added a condition requiring continuation of the existing block wall along the shared boundary; ZMC25-003 received the same set of conditions except for the wall continuation, which does not abut that parcel. Recorded motions and roll-call votes show each commissioner voting yes on the recommendations.

The commission heard no public comment on either item. The matters will now go to Prescott Valley Town Council for a final decision.