Planning and Zoning Commission approves 96-unit apartment complex at U.S. 60 and Summit Trail

The Show Low Planning and Zoning Commission on May 13 approved Conditional Use Permit 602-04-274, allowing the Hampton Group Inc. to build a 96-unit apartment complex at the northeast corner of U.S. 60 and Summit Trail (northern portion of APN 309-38-007Z).

The commission's approval, which carried by a 4-0 vote with one commissioner recusing for a declared conflict of interest, was subject to staff recommendations, coordination with the Snow Creek Homeowners Association on the fence design and implementation of any requirements that result from the Arizona Department of Transportation traffic study.

Staff planner Celine (staff name in transcript) summarized the project to the commission, saying the applicant proposes eight buildings on approximately 10.25 acres that would include 24 studio units, 48 one-bedroom units and 24 two-bedroom units and about four acres of open space. The staff report noted applicable zoning history including Show Low ordinances affecting the parcel and cited required standards such as a 35-foot no-build buffer along the propertys east side and a maximum building height of 35 feet. The report also said a traffic trip generation memo to ADOT is needed to determine whether a full traffic-impact analysis will be required.

Neighbors and other residents who live within the 300-foot notice area raised similar concerns during the public comment period: traffic and congestion on Summit Trail, emergency access given that Snow Creek currently has only one exit, lighting and safety at the Summit Trail/U.S. 60 approach, noise and dust during construction, and preservation of trees and views. Several commenters said Summit Trail is a short dead-end road that currently serves Snow Creek and expressed concern that the proposed project would increase traffic on a narrow corridor.

Robert Edens, a Snow Creek resident, asked whether the project was already approved and sought clarity about the public-notice process. Celine and other staff explained that a CUP (conditional use permit) is not a zone change and that the city code requires posting the property a minimum of 10 days and sending letters to property owners within 300 feet; a neighborhood meeting is required only for zone changes, not CUPs.

Multiple residents requested a second access point to reduce pressure on Summit Trail. Don House, managing director and owner at the Hampton Group, told the commission that ADOT declined access to U.S. 60 at this location because of concerns about spacing between Summit Trail and Sierra Pines, the need for acceleration/deceleration/turn lanes, and grade/drainage constraints near the highway. "They did not want to give us access there," House said. He added Summit Trail is at-grade and ADOT viewed the Summit Trail access as the safer option for this development.

House answered other questions from the public and commission: the Hampton Group does not participate in short-term rental programs and signs conventional leases; the company intends to preserve trees (reporting efforts to avoid removing trees over 24 inches in diameter during site layout); and the developer expects to submit construction drawings in about 60 days with a goal of beginning construction by the end of summer, followed by a 12-to-14-month build-out if schedules proceed normally.

Commission discussion restated that ADOT will require and enforce any improvements identified in its traffic study (for example, signalization or turn lanes) and that any ADOT-mandated improvements must be implemented by the applicant. Staff also noted that although the general plan shows Summit Trail as a future connector to White Mountain Road, that extension is development driven and has no set timeline.

The motion to approve the CUP included the staff recommendations and the applicants commitment to meet with the Snow Creek HOA on the fence/screening design and to comply with ADOT requirements following the traffic study. A commissioner noted the 74-foot separation from Snow Creek's west property line to the nearest proposed building on the plan, exceeding the 35-foot buffer cited in earlier ordinances.

Votes at a glance: Conditional Use Permit 602-04-274 (Hampton Group Inc.) Result: approved Outcome: approved Vote tally: Yes 4, No 0, Abstain 0, Recused 1 (commissioner who declared conflict). A seven-day appeal period to the city clerk applies.

Why it matters: The approval clears a key permitting step for a market-rate, 96-unit apartment complex that will increase residential density in an area mapped for future development and that abuts existing subdivisions. The project prompted sustained public comment about traffic, emergency access and visual buffering, and staff and the applicant were asked to work with neighbors and ADOT to address those operational concerns.

What remains: The developer must submit final building plans and obtain building permits, and the project must comply with applicable city code chapters (drainage design, outdoor light control, R2-7 standards) and any ADOT conditions resulting from the traffic study. The commissions approval applies only to the plan presented; any materially different future proposal would require a new review.