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Commission gives largely positive feedback to Higley/Warner master site plan, flags refuse enclosures and dark materials
Summary
Staff reviewed a 5.4‑acre master site plan for retail/restaurant ‘Shops A and B’ at the northwest corner of Higley and Warner; commissioners asked for better integration of refuse enclosures, lighter building materials, and clarity on phasing and parking.
Town planning staff presented a master site plan for a multi‑phase commercial development at the northwest corner of Higley Road and Warner Road and requested commissioner feedback on elevations, site layout and general design.
The roughly 5.4‑acre site is within the Morrison Ranch character area and is proposed to be developed in multiple phases, with Phase 1 comprising two “Shops A and B” buildings totaling about 15,000 square feet (roughly 7,000 sq ft of restaurant and about 8,000 sq ft of retail) and about 1,900 square feet of patio space. Staff said the submission is a “bubble plan” and each additional pad site will return for full design review.
Commissioners praised the overall layout and pedestrian connectivity but raised several recurring concerns. Staff and the vice chair asked the applicant to better integrate refuse enclosures so they are not prominent at drive aisles; commissioners noted the current placement places refuse enclosures conspicuously at multiple vehicle entrances and could impede traffic flow. Commissioners also expressed concern about building materials and palette: staff recommended a lighter, neutral desert tone and a more farmhouse style consistent with the Morrison Ranch character area rather than very dark wood composite and contemporary color choices; several commissioners encouraged lighter wood tones and a mix of pitched awnings with the proposed flat suspended canopies.
Commissioners also cautioned about phasing and civil improvements, especially drainage, and asked for civil work and parking to be coordinated so required spaces are available as pad sites develop. Staff confirmed 108 parking spaces are required and the applicant proposed 197 overall; once the additional pads are developed a 12‑space deficit would need to be resolved. Street tree species for the area were noted as constrained by the character area requirement that 50% of street trees be pecan or Chinese pistache; that change was not yet reflected in the plan.
Staff asked for additional integration of refuse enclosures into the site design, lighter building colors and more farmhouse‑style detailing, and clarified that the pad sites must return for full design review.
