Planning commission recommends amended 2‑story independent‑living project at Dynamite and Alma School to city council

The Scottsdale Planning Commission voted to recommend approval to City Council of a revised development plan for the Artessa Tuzian project at Dynamite and Alma School, asking that the council consider the applicant’s recent change that removes a third story and reduces the residential component to 47 units.

The commission’s recommendation, approved after debate and a failed initial motion, forwards the zoning map amendment and updated development plan to City Council “as amended based on the applicant’s changes,” per the motion that passed on a roll‑call vote.

Staff planner Jeff Barnes told commissioners the 22.26‑acre site is currently zoned Planned Community Center (PCC) with the Environmentally Sensitive Lands (ESL) overlay and that the request is for a plan‑shared development overlay and updated development plan. “The request before you tonight … is a recommendation to City Council for approval, zoning district map amendment … on this 22.26 acre site,” Barnes said, describing existing commercial uses at the site’s frontages and an undeveloped rear portion the applicant proposes to redevelop as residential.

Applicant representative Susan Bitter Smith, speaking for Lifestyle Communities, said the team has revised the project based on neighborhood feedback and emphasized the change does not request a zoning‑district change: “We are not asking for a change to the zoning at all,” she said. She said the developer reduced the project’s height and unit count after outreach and provided materials showing lower building heights, larger native open space and reduced asphalt coverage.

Commissioners’ discussion ranged across several issues. Commissioner Ertel and others pressed staff and the applicant on unit counts and the possibility of recommending the project at the originally submitted 67 units. Commissioner Ertel said he would “leave it as is at the 67” if given the chance, while other commissioners and nearby residents supported the applicant’s reduction. Commissioner Hetel raised water‑supply questions for future hearings, saying he planned to press city water staff on how a “hundred‑year supply” claim aligns with proposed water‑reuse investments.

Neighbors at the hearing objected to the project’s timing and outreach to some nearby homeowners. Lisa Black, of 10833 E. Hedgehog Place, asked the commission to allow more time for homeowners to review the applicant’s last‑minute revisions, saying she had “serious concerns” about lighting, traffic and a recent legal conflict between adjacent property owners. Mike Domer, who identified himself as a 50% owner of the adjacent Serene/Bella Sole at Scottsdale North community, said he and his HOA had not been adequately consulted and asked the commission to continue the item so neighbors and the applicant could negotiate on proximity and design. The applicant said it had held multiple open houses and one‑on‑one meetings and had changed the design in response to neighbor concerns.

Key numeric and technical details discussed at the hearing: - Site area: 22.26 gross acres. - Existing PCC underlying zoning density allows 4 dwelling units per acre (about 89 units across the whole site); the applicant originally represented 67 units and provided a recent update reducing that to 47 units by removing a third story from the previously proposed three‑story buildings. - Proposed two‑story villas have a stated height of about 31 feet; the PCC standard noted in staff materials allows up to 36 feet. - The applicant reported increases in natural area open space and reductions in asphalt coverage and daily trip generation compared with the commercial (grocery) alternative; the applicant provided percentages on those changes in its outreach materials. - Applicant representatives said they had completed a native plant survey and will follow native plant salvage and construction‑document requirements.

The commission considered two formal motions. An initial motion to recommend approval per the staff report failed. An alternate motion to recommend approval to City Council “per the staff recommended stipulations as amended based on the applicant’s changes” carried on a roll call that recorded unanimous support among commissioners present for that recommendation. The planning commission’s recommendation is advisory; City Council will make the final decision.

Next steps: The case (2ZN2024) will move to City Council for a hearing and final action. The commission’s recommendation reflects the applicant’s revised submittal to remove the third story and reduce the unit count; any further changes would be considered by City Council and in subsequent design‑review steps.