Disclaimer: The comments in this blog are my personal opinion and may or may not reflect an adopted position of the city of Glendale and its city council.

We are all familiar with the farm land wrapping around Walgreens and the small commercial center located on the southwest corner of 83rd Avenue and Glendale Avenue. The people that own the trailer park in this area also own this land.

Yesterday I received an Interested Parties notification letter inviting me to an Open House neighborhood meeting. Here is the link to the notification letter: RV proposal

Interestingly, my office, to date, has not been informed of this upcoming meeting. I suspect after the applicant’s representation reads this blog, my office will receive an invitation.

Since 1984, for nearly 40 years, this land has been zoned as R3. R3 zoning is multifamily zoning at 20 units to the acre. If it were to develop as R3 there could be a maximum of 340 units, probably 2 story. However, with extractions for streets, landscaping, buffering, open space and retention, my best guess is that there would be somewhere between 275 and 300 units.

What else can be developed on R3 zoned land? Here from the Glendale Zoning Code are the permitted by right uses: single residence dwellings, multiple-residence dwellings, boardinghouse and public schools, parks, and playgrounds.

The property owner, states that their only other option of choice, by right, is to put multifamily on this site and the city could not stop it. To do so would be a “property taking.” There is no consideration by the property owner of a single residence development. That option has been rejected.

However, multifamily is not what the property owner is proposing. If you read the letter which I offered in the link above, you would learn that they are proposing to develop a “high-quality, luxury RV resort.” The applicant states that 3 times on page 2 of the letter.

Here is an excerpt from the applicant’s letter: 

“Although two-story apartments could be built on the site under the current zoning, we believe views from two-story windows into the neighboring homes would raise concern by those neighbors. We believe there is a better use for this infill property given its location in Glendale.” Page 2, paragraph 1

Knowing how surrounding residents feel about apartment complexes, this statement could be perceived as a threat. In all fairness, Yucca district residents have not objected to all of the complexes being built in the Westgate/Zanjero area, west of 91^st Avenue.  That creates a synergy of population mass that supports these entertainment areas. However, the suggestion of another apartment complex in our immediate area would be met with a great deal of resistance. Keep in mind this parcel is within the 83^rd Avenue corridor where nearly all the district’s large lot developments are situated.

In the applicant’s notification letter, the amenities being offered are: on-site manager residence; high-end clubhouse, which would have a small convenient market for guests to purchase small necessities; and within it includes office space; fitness center; kitchen; activity and game rooms. The outdoor amenities they offer are: a large, resort style swimming pool with seating; BBQ; pickleball courts; and a dog park.

I did extensive research on what luxury RV resort parks offer as standard amenities and here is the list:

• Cable
• WiFi (All Sites)/Hardwired
• Free Phone Jacks at Each Site
• Heated swimming pool/spa – heated?? We don’t know.
• Clubhouse with fitness center, business center, social hall, game room and activity area; big screen TV with new release movies; and a library area
• Laundry facility
• Resort store
• Playground with tot lot and splash pad
• Dog park
• Picnic table rentals
• Gas fire pits and fire pit rentals
• Recreational activities as standard offerings: basketball, horseshoes, badminton, pickleball, bocce, putting green
• Extra Cargo storage (for those needing additional space)
• Full hook-up 20/30/50 amp
• Water and waste disposal
• Propane rental on site
• Private restrooms with shower and toilet
• Extended driveways
• Casitas
• Patios with propane grills and outdoor furniture
• Grass lined concrete pads
• Outdoor lighting
• Shade trees at every RV site
• Pull though spaces for RVs
• Manager and activity coordinator on site every day
• Age, pets and style of RV permitted are restricted
• Gazebo style community kitchen
• Handicap accessible

As you can see, they are a long way from meeting the list of amenities found at a luxury RV resort. I also propose a limitation on the length of stay as this is not intended to be a permanent living RV park but rather is designed to accommodate temporary visitors to the Westgate/Zanjero/Vai areas.

Although the numbers are difficult to read on their rendering of the proposed page 5 conceptual plan, it appears there will be 159 RV sites. Less than a third are pull in sites.

There are stipulations that must be incorporated along with amenities that will ensure that this is an upscale RV Resort Park:

• An 8 foot perimeter wall on the west and south side of the existent shopping center as well as to the west and south sides of the proposed development.
• Since there will be a constant turnover of patrons on vacation, it becomes critical to use enhanced and extended buffering adjacent to any nearby or adjacent single family residential use to mitigate any extraordinary partying resulting in noise or music. That would include to the west where there is the RV park and to the south where there is single family residential.
• Enhanced and upgraded entry way yet with muted signage. RV users will not be the casual motorist along 83rd or Glendale Avenues but rather will have found this park through RV sites on the internet or by word of mouth.

Their letter invites you, the public, to a neighborhood meeting:

“We are hosting a neighborhood open house meeting to provide information and answer questions regarding these requests on November 7, 2022, at Towne Place Suites Glendale (Conference Room), 7271 N. Zanjero Blvd., Glendale, Arizona 85305. We know people have different schedules, so that is why we have set this up as an open house style meeting. The open house will run from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM. Feel free to arrive and leave anytime during the 60-minute window.” Page 5

I object strongly to the concept of an Open House meeting. All of the neighbors attending do not hear the questions posed or necessarily receive the same response. They have scheduled this meeting for one hour (which I think may be too short). Their format should be a sit down meeting where the presentation is made at once to all attendees and questions/responses are made to all attendees at one time.

Yucca district residents from these neighborhoods not only need to pass out the word and become informed about this meeting but should attend as well:

• Rovey Farm and Glen Eden (across the street from the proposed project)
• Large lot development single streets of Cavalier, Montebello, Georgia and Orange
• Residential subdivisions of Shalimar, Desert Mirage, Parkside, La Buena Vida, Missouri Estates and Missouri Ranch

If this land must develop as an up-scale, luxury RV resort park then it darn well should be one.

^{© Joyce Clark, 2022}      

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