Council approves rezoning and master plan for 2768 Agua Fria amid debate on density, parking and industrial adjacency
Loading...
Summary
Council rezoned a 4.12-acre parcel at 2768 Agua Fria from Mixed Use to C-2 and adopted a master plan for a 130-unit multifamily development with a 10% affordable set-aside; staff and applicant committed to archaeological review, off-site traffic improvements and parking-management measures.
The governing body approved a rezoning from Mixed Use to C-2 and adopted a master plan for a proposed 130-unit mixed-use community at 2768 Agua Fria, after a lengthy staff presentation, applicant briefing and public testimony. Senior planner Jorge (Joel) Cruz Haber outlined the request and staff's recommendation, and the Planning Commission had earlier recommended approval.
The master plan submitted by Coldwater Development Fund (represented by Jennifer Jenkins of Jenkins Gavin) calls for roughly 130 apartments (including studios, one-, two- and three-bedroom units), about 1,000 square feet of ground-floor retail, 160 on-site parking spaces (a requested reduction from an ordinance baseline), and a 10 percent affordable-housing set-aside (13 units). Jenkins said the project had been reduced in scale from an initial 150-unit proposal following neighborhood meetings.
Staff and the applicant described technical conditions tied to the approvals: an archaeological clearance will be required before development-plan approval; the applicant must construct off-site traffic improvements identified in the traffic-impact analysis — notably a dedicated right-turn deceleration lane on Agua Fria and a two-way left-turn lane at the Agua Fria/Seiler intersection — and staff conditioned a 40-42-foot future easement to the south to preserve an east-west connection option. Joel Cruz Haber told council the project provides more open space than required and that staff accepted the parking reduction based on an Institute of Transportation Engineers demand analysis and the site's transit and bike access.
Public commenters raised concerns about density, long-term affordability, accessible parking and the parcel's adjacency to light/heavy industrial uses. A multigenerational neighbor urged the council to prefer commercial uses rather than residential; others asked how affordable units will be marketed and how parking will be managed for visitors and employees of the small retail space. The applicant and staff responded that affordable units will be income-qualified and coordinated with the city's affordable-housing office and that the property will include accessible spaces in compliance with code (the master plan shows eight accessible spaces) and that EV-charging and other state code requirements will be addressed at development plan and building-permit stage.
Councilors also discussed the policy context: staff reviewed the application against the 1999 general plan and said the parcel is designated "transitional mixed use," a category compatible with the requested C-2 zoning. If a new comprehensive plan is adopted before a development-plan submittal, staff said the new plan would govern conditions for future development.
After discussion the council voted to approve the rezoning (Bill 2025-24) by roll call and then adopted the associated master plan resolution with a technical amendment (correcting an effective date in a footnote to 01/01/2026). The approvals include the conditions described above; development cannot proceed without required archaeological clearance and subsequent development-plan review.
