Commission recommends reduced density for The Coves at Sailing Hawks; developer agrees to lower pad grades and 15-foot roof limit on upper lots

The Lake Havasu City Planning and Zoning Commission on April 3 voted unanimously to recommend City Council approve a major amendment to Planned Development PD-01001 (The Coves at Sailing Hawks) that reduces Phase 3 density from 63 lots to 22 single-family lots and attaches conditions including adoption of a proposed grading plan and a 15-foot maximum building height on specified upper lots.

Staff presentation and history

City planning staff told the commission the property is roughly 13.37 acres and has been the subject of multiple prior approvals dating to the original general development plan in February 2005. The site sits above London Bridge Road and has substantial elevation change; staff referenced earlier approvals and said the proposed amendment reduces density and retains a similar street configuration while enlarging lot sizes.

Applicant presentation and neighbor concerns

Michael Gordon of Desert Land Group, the applicant, described the amendment as a response to market demand for larger single-family lots and said the owner had begun grading under the previously approved plan but asked to move forward with a less-dense layout. Gordon told commissioners the owner would accept the lower pad elevations shown on the grading exhibit submitted with the application and proposed design review and engineering follow-up.

Several neighbors and property owners opposed parts of the originally approved grading and raised concerns about rooftop heights and loss of view corridors. Ryan Atkins, who described himself as an owner in Sailing Hawks, told the commission “the intent of the project was always that finished floor heights... top of roof would be at or below finished floor heights throughout the entire project.” Other residents said they had been reassured in earlier phases that rooflines would not rise above terrace finished-floor levels.

Residents said recent grading activity raised alarms because they believed prior verbal assurances and staff discussion had protected viewlines. Don Bethke and other nearby homeowners asked the commission to require the developer to lower several pad elevations and to consider other design adjustments; one resident said he had used a pole and photographs to document existing elevations.

Staff recommendation and negotiated conditions

Staff recommended forwarding the land-use amendment to City Council with conditions including: an amended subdivision plat reflecting the new lot configuration; engineering review and approval of utility plans; maintenance of required public-utility easements; and a master grading plan approved before issuance of building permits. During discussion the applicant agreed on the record to have the proposed grading exhibit (submitted as an exhibit in the planning packet) adopted as the controlling pad elevations for the subject lots.

Importantly, the developer also agreed at the hearing to an additional limit requested by neighbors: lots on the upper terrace (lots 1 through 15 on the proposed plan) will have a maximum building height of 15 feet measured above the approved pad elevations shown on the submitted grading exhibit. The applicant committed that those pad elevations — the plan labeled as Exhibit A in the record — would be incorporated into the conditions of approval.

Commission action

Commissioner Nelson moved to recommend City Council approve land-use action 19-1930 with staff recommendations, modifying condition 3 to adopt the proposed grading plan as Exhibit A and to impose the 15-foot maximum building height on lots 1 through 15; Commissioner McGowan seconded. The commission voted unanimously to forward the amendment and attached conditions to City Council.

Practical effects and next steps

The commission's recommendation replaces the higher-density approved plan with a 22-lot single-family layout if City Council concurs. The developer stated grading plans and infrastructure drawings will be resubmitted to reflect the amendment; engineering review and design adjustments (drainage, sewer, utilities) are required before building permits are issued. Developer representatives cautioned that further significant reductions of pad elevations could require additional earth export and infrastructure redesign; they estimated larger reductions could add roughly $75,000–$100,000 in cost for the grading and drainage changes mentioned in testimony.

The amendment now proceeds to the City Council for final action. If council approves the amendment, the adopted grading exhibit and the 15-foot height restriction on lots 1–15 will be conditions enforced at plan-review and building-permit stage.