Planning commission backs returning Retail Center parcel to commercial use, recommends rezone for two-story gym with conditions

The Lake Havasu City Planning and Zoning Commission voted 7-0 Feb. 5 to recommend that the City Council approve a minor general plan amendment and to approve a planned-development rezone and general development plan for a two-acre parcel at 60 Retail Center Boulevard, clearing the way for a multi-story gym and outdoor pool subject to limited exceptions.

The commission recommended changing the parcel’s future land-use designation from medium-density residential back to commercial mixed use (land-use action ID 254639) and approved a rezone from manufactured-home park (RMH) to mixed-use general plan development (MU-GPD) with exceptions for maximum building height and setbacks (land-use action ID 254643). The commission did not approve an exception for the city’s 30% alternate exterior-material requirement facing Retail Center Boulevard.

Why it matters: The three related items heard Feb. 5 would convert a parcel that was changed to residential in 2022 for a proposed manufactured-home park into a commercial site intended for a 2-story, multiuse gym that proponents say will draw daily visitors and generate sales-tax revenue. The commission’s approval sends the applications to City Council for…