welcome everyone to the September 13 2023 City Mesa planning and zoning board meeting we appreciate everyone being here today we'll Begin by taking a roll call of everyone here from the board I am chair Ben Ayers and unfortunately Vice chair pitcher is unable to be with us today but we'll go through the rest of the board board member Crockett here board member Peterson here board member montess here board member blakeman here and board member Carpenter here great thank you so as part of today's meeting we have a consent agenda and this will be read into the record enacted on in one motion these items on the agenda are not going to be discussed individually so grateful to have a board member Peterson here to read our consent agenda for the day all right so the items that will be on the consent agenda today are items 2A pz23108 minutes from the August 23rd 2023 Planning and Zoning meeting item 4A zon 23-00139-4312 East University within the 4300 block of East University Drive located west of Greenfield Road on the north side of the University Drive site plan review and Council use permit this request will allow for a mini storage facility restaurant and drive-through facility with the multi-tenant building with a drive-through facility recommendation is approval with conditions and item 4B zon 23-00140 Sienna Ridge within the 100 block of South 90th Street located south of Main Street and West of Ellsworth Road rezone from single residents 43 to multiple residents too with the planetary development overlay and site plan review this request will allow for multiple residents to build and recommendation is approval with conditions all right thank you board member Peterson and just to verify we haven't gotten any other common cards or any requests to pull those items off that is correct chair all right we're good to go so with that we'll request a motion from the board to approve the consent agenda I'll move that we approve the consent agenda as it's been read second all right everyone please vote all right unanimously with everyone here on the board 6-0 though that uh passes and we will now move on to the next item on Origin okay thank you chair board members so the first item off of consent is item 3A which is case zon22-01133 and Sean will be making a presentation on that oh Jimmy you're gonna jump on that oh great good evening chair members of the board as mentioned this is case Zeon 22-0-1133 the request before USA plan review and special use permit for a parking reduction and this is to allow for a mixed-use development consisting of multiple family projects and a commercial project the site is located within Haas Crossing Village one so it has Frontage on Elliott Road the north side of Elliott Road and it'll also have Frontage on 82nd Street which is a future roadway within Village one and then of course West of Haas road is shown on the the hatch map in front of you the general plan character area designation on the property is mixed use activity District so this district is envisioned as a large-scale activity area that supports retail commercial residential is supported as a secondary land use um this site is also within the inner loop district and in that plan it talks about having a mixed use development with buildings brought closer to the street and parking located to the side and rear of the buildings so the zoning on the property is mixed use with the planned area development overlay and that overlay is tied to the Haas Crossing development master plan the proposed uses multiple residents income and Commercial which includes retail and restaurant are are all permitted within that District so this is a site photo looking North from Elliott road you can see the side is vacant undeveloped so the applicant is proposing 233 units in the northern portion of the lot it's a four-story building there are two-story Carriage units on the Eastern portion of the lot fronting 82nd Street on the southern portion there are four commercial buildings the pad a and Pad B are drive-through restaurants and then shops a and shops B are multi-tenant buildings and then to the east of shops a is a pedestrian Plaza and that's a requirement of the Haas Crossing development development agreement and that Plaza will include Hardscape landscape and several amenities like benches and raised planters on the west side of the of the property extending south to North is a open space buffer and shared use path and that and that'll connect with lennar's shared use path which is not under construction but recently approved and that's directly north of this of this site so per code for the multiple residential portion of the project 489 stalls are required the applicant is requesting a reduction so the reduction is 407 stalls um well not a reduction of 407 cells but the the amount is 407 uh so it sets about a reduction of 80 85 86 233 spaces are are covered so that that complies with code one one space per unit shall be covered for the commercial component 92 spaces are required per code and 109 spaces are provided so the commercial side of the project implies with the parking minimums here's a snippet of the landscape plan that was discussed by the designer view board at last night's work session and there were no comments about the proposed landscape design but again you can see abundance of trees and shrubs around that shared use path that goes north and south along the west property line to provide a buffer to the to the industrial uses to the West so here's a rendering of the proposed multi-family building this is a perspective looking North from the commercial side again these elevations were discussed by the design review board at last night's work session some minimal comments that staff will work to resolve with with the applicant moving forward here's a rendering of the of one of the multi-tenant buildings I believe this is shops a and then to the left you can't see the whole Plaza but a portion of it it kind of has a relationship with that building with outdoor seating so the special use permit is for the parking reduction as mentioned and as we discussed his study session um staff found all three required findings to be met and that's based on the breakdown of the unit types and the bedroom counts as well as the findings um by the transportation consultant when analyzing the anticipated demand per the ite and Urban Land Institute so property owners were notified within a thousand feet um staff has not been contacted by any interested parties about this request so overall we find that the request complies with the 2040 Mesa General plan the Gateway strategic development plan as well as the review criteria for site plan review and then the review criteria for a special use permit our recommendation is approval with conditions but I'm happy to answer any questions thank you all right thank you appreciate it any questions from the board looks like we don't have any questions for you all right thank you okay uh chair and board members so the other item that is oh I'm sorry I'm getting ahead of myself I do it all the time so you're good so with that I think when we have no public comment we have no cards on this item as well so I think I'll just close the public meeting on this one I think we're good there and I'll entertain a motion or any discussion if we have questions do you have a question for you I don't I don't think we need them okay so entertain emotion or if you guys have a discussion or anything you want to bring up on this one anybody I will move that we approve agenda item 3A case zon 22-01133 for green development District Six within the 8100 block of East Elliott Road and within the 3500 block of South 82nd Street alignment located west of Haws Road and North of Elliott Road site plan review and special use permit this request will allow for a mixed use development the staff recommendation is approval with conditions second I'll second the motion all right well everyone please vote foreign we don't have her on there so I think we're good I'm not seeing her as all oh hit him there we go all right unanimous with uh board member blakeman abstaining and board member pitcher or vice chair pitcher actually not here the that motion passes thank you everybody now we can move on to 5A thank you sorry about that so next item off a consent is uh 5A which is case zon 23-00469 and Charlotte they'll be making that presentation thank you chair board members this is zoningkcon 23-00649 and it's a request to rezone the subject site from limited commercial to limit commercial with a bonus intensity Zone overlay and a council use permit it's also a request for site plan review and the purpose is to allow a social service facility the location of the site is at 6733 East Main Street and that's west of Power Road and Southwest at the southwest corner of Main Street and Sun air thank you okay the current zoning is limited commercial and once again the request is to rezone the proposed or the site from limited commercial to limited commercial with bi with a Biz overly and then also a council use permit which is required for a social service facility in the LC District the general plan designation on the property is neighborhood for suburban and the goals of the neighborhood Suburban character area is to provide safe places for people to live and enjoy their surrounding community it also provides a wide range of housing options and it may contain multiple residences and Commercial uses along industrial arterial streets and at Major Street intersections so in your packet there's a larger map that shows the extent of that neighborhood Suburban character area per the general plan a majority of a character of a neighborhood Suburban character area must be established with 55 or greater primary zoning districts and primary land uses so in the LC District or in the neighborhood character Suburban character area an LC district is considered a secondary zoning district and a public semi-public use which is the category for Social Service facility is considered a secondary land use so staff found that 85 percent of the overall Suburbans the neighborhood Suburban character area is currently developed with primary zoning and districts and land uses so consequently the allowance for secondary land uses and Zoning districts is is appropriate this is a photo of the existing site looking south from Main Street and this is another photo looking West at the site from Sun air and then this is a photo looking North from or all from Alder Avenue into the site the site plan that's been submitted shows the existing two-story 20 890 square foot building with 60 units on the west side of the property and then it shows the existing single story building on the east side of the property and it's 400 4967 square feet and it has 10 units there are there's access to the site from Main Street Sun air and Alder Avenue there's 47 parking spaces provided on site new sidewalks will be provided interior to the site and then could and then connecting to the right of waysidewalk and also there's going to be a new dumpster enclosure located in more of the southeast corner of the facility the landscape plan shows canopy trees and shrubs along the public right-of-ways and then also within the existing open space areas interior to the site there's a new dog run proposed at the north east corner of the site a new covered play area located to the south of the existing one-story building there's also a proposal for an eight-foot masonry wall along Sun air and Alder Avenue and then those access points alongside Aaron Alder Avenue would also be gated these are photos of the existing two-story building and then these are photos of the existing one-story building as part of the bonus intensity Zone the applicant is requesting modifications to the development standards to accommodate the existing site improvements so most of the items listed in this table are most of the deviations are being requested for existing site conditions I'll point out the few that are not so for the building setback and parking area and Landscape areas adjacent to the right-of-ways along Main Street where 15 feet is required the existing measurement is 8.21 feet and that's all these are proposed to remain along Sun air where 20 feet is required 5.46 feet is existing along Alder Avenue where 20 feet is required 7.89 feet is existing on the interior side of the or the West property line the interior side of the of the lot where the two-story building is located the building setback requirement is 15 feet per story and then the corresponding landscape setback would be 15 feet in this case there's only 4.6 feet between the building itself and that property line and that's proposed to remain as far as the fences in the fences located within the building set back areas landscape areas the maximum height is 3.5 feet there is an existing screen wall along Main Street that's going to remain but along Sun air and Alder the applicant is proposing an eight foot in height masonry wall and then also those eight foot Gates that would close off the access drives those new walls our ordinance requires undulation or modulation in those walls every 40 feet but in this case the applicant is proposing a maximum length of 120 square feet or excuse me 120 linear feet without that modulation because there's just not enough room in the existing landscape to do that that landscape area to do that for parking a motel requires one parking space per room so 70 parking spaces would be required normally for a hotel there's only 63 parking spaces on site and then because this is going to be a different use of Social Service facility use our ordinance doesn't really stipulate or have a requirement for a social service parking ratio so the applicant is proposing 47 spaces to remain and as a part of their narrative they indicate that because of the the residents that are at the facility they rarely own cars so 47 spaces should be sufficient for the use as far as open space goes 30.4 percent of the of the air of the site is open space 50 would be required but once again they're not making any additions that's reducing what's already there so they're requesting that 30 percent remain as far as Landscaping along Main Street they're proposing three trees and 37 shrubs and these are canopy trees so the existing palm trees are going to be removed except for three pineapple Palms that are located along Sun air so alongside air they're requesting or they're proposing 14 trees and 32 shrubs along Alder they're proposing Seven Trees and 13 shrubs and then in that along the west property line between the building itself and the property line they're not proposing any trees or shrubs there there's not enough area and they want to keep that open so they can maintain it and keep it and keep it secure as well interior to the parking area where normally we would require parking lot landscape Islands to bound um the parking spaces and then to provide it so there's no more than eight contiguous spaces at the existing site there's no parking islands and the applicant is just proposing to maintain that condition so no new parking Islands but then also no new trees or shrubs within a parking Island foundation-based in adjacent to the building the applicants proposing to maintain what is at the site right now so adjacent to this two-story building where 15 foot would normally be required they're proposing 8.78 feet which again which is existing and then our ordinance also has a requirement that buildings greater than or larger than 10 000 square feet provide a plaza area and so this the facility does have an existing Plaza area but it doesn't meet the dimensions called out in the ordinance so they're requesting that the plaza area which is 14 feet 0.4 feet in width and 29 feet in depth and has an area of 417.6 square feet that that remain so moving into the council use permit criteria in evaluating this criteria in the first requirement staff finds that the project is consistent with the neighborhood Suburban character area and the transit district station area character types and that the final site plan and final landscape plan offer provide pedestrian connectivity and streetscape that further contributes to the goals of the 2040 Mesa General plan and it also contributes to the housing goals of the 2040 Mesa General plan by providing a needed transition in Supportive Housing facility for people who are experiencing homelessness and who are striving to get off the streets and back to self-sufficiency the second criteria the proposed the purpose of the LC district is to provide areas for indoor retail entertainment and service oriented businesses that serve the surrounding residential trade area within a mile to 10 mile radius but this includes public and semi-public uses as well so the proposed project is consistent with the intent of the LC District which states a public or semi-public use including a social service facility is compatible in the LC district and is permitted with the approval of a council use permit in in response to the criteria will the proposal be injurious or detrimental to the adjacent and surrounding Properties or or improvements in the neighborhood or to the general welfare of the city and in response to that criteria we've outlined that the facility is a closed campus participants will be limited to seniors families and domestic violence victims experiencing homelessness no visitors would be allowed on campus without permission and monitoring daily room tax will be conducted and at 10 pm curfew enforced The Proposal is to construct an eight-foot tall masonry wall with Gates along the south and east sides of the parking area they'll be installing upgraded exterior lighting and security cameras those security camera camera cameras will be monitored with through the real-time crime Center on-site non-profit and police presence our day and night are 24 7 at the facility and this enhanced increased security May benefit the surrounding neighborhood in in general so staff finds the proposed project will not be injurinous or detrimental to the surrounding neighborhood and then the last criteria for this section there are adequate public services such as Public Schools Police and Fire Protection already provided to the project site and then there's also existing infrastructure to support the proposal the the use so the second Council use criteria Council use permit criteria for the first item staff finds that it complies with the 2040 Mesa General plan and it also is in compliance with the social service guidelines specifically per the guidelines it's located in a manner consistent with the existing zoning and land uses it provides participants with basic amenities such as restrooms drinking water and seating areas and then the project is not located in downtown Mesa or within the designated Town Center Redevelopment area for the second criteria a plan of operation has been submitted and a condition of approval approval stipulates compliance with the operation and maintenance plan and the proposed project has been reviewed by City And Mesa development services and planning staff for compliance with our zoning building code and fire safety regulations in addition a condition of approval stipulates compliance with all City development codes and regulations accept the modifications to the development standards as approved with the biz overlay next a Good Neighbor policy has been submitted the Good Neighbor policy indicates the staff and the Mesa Police Department officers will be on site at all times and that the campus is secured there are clear communication channels for citizens to communicate with the city regarding the facility and a curfew is in first forced there's no walk-up or drop-in services there's daily check-ins and even more measures to ensure compatibility with the adjacent uses and and finally I believe this is the last one well I say that and then I'll have another slide but approval of the requested Biz overlayable result in the project being brought into substantial conformance with City development standards the applicant is proposing improvements to the project site including new landscape trees and shrubs a covered play area a dog run a single dumpster enclosure interior to the project site these improvements include once again adding trees and shrubs to the existing landscape areas um we talked about installing a new covered play area in dog run there will be a new eight foot in height masonry wall with Gates along Sun air and Alder Avenue so overall staff finds the proposed development improvements will bring the project site into substantial conformance with the Mesa zoning ordinance development standards so moving on to citizen participation there's an extensive citizen participation report in your in your packet that was distributed but just to summarize residents and neighbor and businesses within one thousand feet were notified of of the neighborhood meetings that took place and then the HOAs and registered neighborhoods in the area were also notified of those meetings and once again there's a summary of the comments and concerns that came out of that those meetings three rounds of door-to-door visits and discussions took place with with the neighborhood residents and so planning staff directly received at the time this packet was put together 16 letters in support of this project and two in opposition and those are included in your packet and then since that packet was distributed we've received I believe it's six more emails in support of the project so those are at your disposal to read so in summary staff finds the proposed project complies with the 2040 Mesa General plan it complies with the review criteria in section 1170 6D for a council use permit and it complies with the development standards in section 11 3126 for a social service facility Council use permit and it complies with the review criteria in chapter 21 for a bonus intensity Zone overlay and it also meets the criteria for chapter 69 for site plan review and staff is recommending approval with conditions I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have about the project thank you Charlotte appreciate it any questions from the board Charlotte thank you for that presentation appreciate it this uh this project is a very complex project and as a that with a lot of comprehensive Community um issues and stakeholders that will all come together at the when city council approves or considers the the uh this action and whereas we as a Planning and Zoning Board have a very narrow purview over the few items ahead of us um from a planning perspective that we are to look at so I just want to make sure that we we keep our our recommendation to the the city council when it when they consider this in in that mode and have a few questions for clarification so the the three items are site plan review which is uh pretty self-explanatory the conditional use permit needed for the specific uh this this use on the site correct and then right now it's zoned limited commercial already and the the rezoning is to limited commercial with a Biz overlay and those so it's essentially the same category with the few with the view modifications right and those on the setbacks those as you listen to those those out because this and and again fairly unique because most of the time we're looking at a new build project where this is uh an existing condition and so um really that it looked like the majority of those um set back and development standards were to bring the to bring the current site into the items that are historically have have been non-compliant and to bring them within compliance of city code is that correct chair and board member Peterson yes that's correct okay gotcha and then on the Landscaping the uh while the Landscaping the the biz overlay has some deviation for that the landscaping that's being proposed will be a significant improvement over the existing condition is that correct chair and board member Peterson yes and I'll just point out that those landscape areas adjacent to the public right-of-ways you know normally would be 15 to 20 feet wide and have four trees and 20 shrubs per or or 100 shrubs per you know um 20 what 100 square feet of linear feet of area these the widths adjacent the existing widths of those landscape areas adjacent to the right of ways are so small what they've really shown in there is what would fit in there and survive okay gotcha and so so it's taking that existing condition and Improvement and making a lot better and then the the other deviation that the standard Wall height is uh was it three and a half feet maximum and and we're going now to eight feet and that's for security yeah yeah six on the on the west side and then eight um on the the access sides for um security enhancement and to better control on-site operations and to to essentially be seen as a benefit to the adjacent Property Owners is that okay once again chair and board member yes that's correct okay gotcha thank you those were my questions um is there any so if the project doesn't pass it's an existing Motel correct right now yes do we know if if this doesn't pass is it going to remain open or do we know any of that chair I may defer to our applicant they may have an answer to that question good evening chair members of the Planning Commission my name is Natalie Lewis I'm a deputy city manager and this project is something that I'm helping to bring through this process if if we don't receive a council use permit for this hotel for this particular use then the city wouldn't be interested in purchasing the facility so we have set this up in such a way that we've opened the council has given us permission to open escrow we're doing due diligence as we speak we're looking at design and trying to facilitate and expedite as much as we can in our planning phases and in hopes that it does pass but the council will take action on this Council use permit before we close escrow so it'll remain what it did I've done home visits there so I know what it is now so it would remain how it is for the time being unless the property and ourselves to someone else okay one quick question maybe I'll ask you out there so as far as the funding for this where is that funding mechanism coming from so we can kind of talk holistically this is this is not coming out of actually mesa's budget every year that's accurate thank you for the question the funding for this is coming from arpa dollars the American Rescue plan dollars there was funding that was provided directly to cities and towns for these precise types of uses and creating programs that that will create a foundation and sustainability into the long term and so we have um funding set aside for this purchase we've also received arpa dollars from the county because they are also a partner and so we've received received those funds that will also help us to use the art dollars not only for the purchase but also for the on-site improvements and can can I ask him please but Mr Sheriff I could ask a follow-up on that so you're going to use arpa dollars to acquire the facility but going forward the operation of the facility into the future is that funded with arpa dollars or is that funded through Mesa uh budget so today it is um all the way up and through the end of 2026 and then once that happens we will go from a budget year to a budget year and we will have that conversation with the city council the city also has access to what I would refer to as traditional funding we've received you know different pots of funding during the pandemic we also receive funding every single year for cdbg for home for emergency service shelters things like that so this project would compete for those dollars as well are those the funds that are being used right now for the Windermere shelter we are using arpa dollars right now for the Windermere shelter which is about a mile and a half to the West right okay dear board members um the applicant does have a presentation that may help to answer some of the questions that you have would you like us to cue that up and then see if that answers some of the questions you have we just jumped right ahead thank you very much I just want to provide a quick overview I will be shorter than I was downstairs and and I want the community to understand the importance that the city of Mesa has put into this and the the massive amount of planning and collaboration not only internally but externally as well to provide as good and successful of a program as possible serving homeless and people experiencing homeless is is very difficult and there is no one-size-fits-all this particular program creates some flexibility in how we serve people so that we can make sure that we're tailoring it to their individual needs but also creating a system to get them into housing this slide shows our collaborative approach internally and our across departmental approach we have our police and our fire department our community services department even budget is is involved Parks courts we will talk about a community Court in a minute libraries these are all different areas that experience homeless and so what we do is we come together and we talk and figure out how we can support each other and Not Duplicate effort the city's main strategy for addressing homelessness is called the Mesa housing path to recovery the area that is circled is what was stood up during the pandemic it did not exist before the pandemic occurred and so people would normally go into some kind of a traditional shelter and sometimes they weren't as successful because traditional shelters have a lot of rules and people might not be actually ready for those rules this program is meant to be almost like a pre-shelter kind of service where we get them housed immediately and stabilized and we start working with them on a housing plan and figure out where that next step is and it's become a really critical step in this whole infrastructure and it's why the city of Mesa has decided to purchase a hotel and keep this moving for the foreseeable time period at the end of the day the city council would decide whether it continues long term or there are other options and flexibility that the city council would have at their disposal why here and why now we still have a major problem in homelessness this is happening nationally this is not just Mesa it's in the region and and today regionally for every 10 people that we are getting off the streets 19 more are becoming homeless and in need of services so we are continuing to find and try to find additional ways to serve people and to do it in as efficient but is also a successful way possible we have been able to achieve with this project a 73 success rate which means they've moved on to their next step in their housing plan we have used we have a lot of data related to this that talks about the program and and ensures that we are monitoring and making you know looking at ways to Improvement where we need it so we we do that constantly and we do that in partnership with Community Bridges who is the operator of the facility and providing all of the service the East Mesa location is meant to spread services today in Mesa about 90 percent maybe even more of Social and Human Services are west of Gilbert Road and there is a lot of feedback from the community but also the city council of wanting to spread these services so that we're not overburdening any one particular area we want to purchase this building at this point because we do see it needed for a longer term process we do think it will save us some some funding over time but the big reason is that Mesa is in control and at the end of the day it's really the city council who decides what happens with this program whether or not we continue it moving forward whether or not there we decide to relocate it in the future we're also able to make absolutely certain that there is a 100 focus on Mesa and Mesa clients and this is a once in a generation lifetime opportunity to use these federal federal dollars we are very committed to being a good neighbor and um we will review The Good Neighbor policy as it relates to that but the other thing that we have committed to do for this neighborhood is put all of this in writing and make sure that it becomes a document and a stipulation within the council use permit itself when Council takes action and we need this facility and the program to enforce urban camping laws urban camping back in 2018 was challenged by an ins in the courts and and basically what the courts told us in the ninth circuit is that we all know that being homeless is not illegal but it is also now not illegal to sleep in public and in public places if and when there is no other alternative for that person so what we've been able to do with off the streets is guarantee a bed to our police officers to our park rangers out there so as they're out there talking to people and meeting with them they are asking do you want a bed do you want Services I can get you one now and and that way if they say no thank you um there are they have options for enforcement still and we will still enforce but we at least can do that and meet this Martin V Boise requirement the police department is very active and and they're more they're proactive today they are out there all the time meeting with people and again having that same conversation this map demonstrates what they've been doing um since 2020 when we stood this program up and so it's all been part of working with each other and supporting the programs and what we do with each other we've also added some new tools and our police officers out in the field love this because before all they had was enforcement and enforcement wasn't working they would ticket someone and it would just be a fee related thing and they'd be back in the park the next day or in at the intersection the next day and it wasn't helping anything and they weren't helping people so today they have a site and release option for a community Court which our courts have stood up and basically it's a restorative type of a program instead of penalizing people and it gives us and the participants a second chance to want to get help and receive service our goal is when they're going through Community Court if they are indeed homeless which most of them are they're at off the streets so we can make sure they're going to and from court and as successful as possible um the other thing that that you can see on this on this chart is that um the police department has been successful at referring people for Human Services or to the off the street so half of the time in their proactive approaches generally they're they're able to send people to the shelter the other half they're they're referring them to medical or some kind of mental health type of assistance the parks Rangers are out there and they're busy too all the time and so this just shows you the contacts they're just constantly out there talking to them they're getting to know these individuals and trying to get them in a state of Readiness to accept service it's hard work and they're out there and they're doing it all the time they also have very direct contact with the police department so if there are issues they have immediate access to the police department our police department has put cameras out in some of the the worst Parks you'll see that it's climbing Pioneer and guillero those Parks have the most homeless activity but they have these cameras out there they connect to our real-time crime Center it helps us monitor what's happening at the parks and to again work with each other on that I'm going to go ahead and invite Lindsey Blinky up here she's our Deputy City Manager for community services and she's responsible for this program and it's in its overall man um the management of the program thank you uh good afternoon chair and board members uh this is more information about the program that we would hope to locate at this location we have had this program existing for three years and so in that time we've had a lot of opportunity to create best practices and a really solid program that we feel that really is able to help people get off the streets and get to the next best place in there in their path to recovery and stability this is a temporary housing program for people experiencing homelessness and over the last three years we've really prioritized serving the most vulnerable individuals within Mesa with Community feedback we've really determined that we would like to accommodate seniors families and domestic violence victims at this location again we do allow we have a great flow from our Mesa police fire and park rangers to allow them to utilize this as a resource get people beds that are that they are interacting with in the community and help them get into a safer place we do have case management and so this is a very active program people create an action plan they create a housing plan and then they have case management and staff on site that help them work through that plan depending on what their needs are and really connect to stabilizing Services getting their identification getting connected to other services that they're eligible for and really getting back on their feet getting employment if they don't already have it and and just getting those Support Services they they really need so it's not just a bed or a room it is a wraparound program that provides really quality services we do have rules and requirements in place a lot of policies and procedures as residents come in they agree to comply with those policies and are made very aware of what those are and so we're all on the same page in that and that really supports our Good Neighbor plan as well as the the safety and the quality of the program people can stay for up to 90 days we do not allow sex offenders on campus or in our program as clients because we are serving so many vulnerable individuals with seniors and and families and small children on site and this is a closed campus model so you cannot walk up and request Services ever that is not allowed we also don't allow any other types of services so there's been concern voice from the community that this will this be a soup kitchen with a line out the door will it be a treatment facility no it will not be any of those we are very focused on providing that temporary housing with the connected services and limiting it to that and helping the city address homelessness and that really contributes to the public safety and well-being for the community it also is nothing like a medical facility or a clinic or any other type of service other than those that we have named we are definitely committed to keeping it as that temporary housing program we currently serve about 39 of our clients have physical disabilities so you'll see we're really pushing for Ada improvements to the property we do have 12 percent of our clients are 62 years and older so we plan to very much continue serving that population as well as many families which results in about 19 percent of our clients being under the age of 18. four percent are currently veterans and twenty percent of our clients are survivors of domestic violence and about a total of 49 almost half of our clients are women we do have also that 73 success rate that Natalie mentioned uh you've heard about this Good Neighbor policy from Charlotte again dedicated police officer on site so this is a very visible person and there's a vehicle on site and we want to make sure that it provides safety and quality to our program security to our clients so that they feel safe and and supported as well to the staff on site but also to the surrounding neighborhood we believe having that that dedicated presence will definitely impact the neighborhood and some of the activities that are being reported to us right now as concerns as well as that non-profit partner on site that's there and working with the clients Around the Clock if needed to really support them and provide services again no walk-up or drop-in services available or allowed on site we do a lot of transporting people to other services off-site and making sure they get what they need but no walk-up services are allowed people that that may try to do that are not allowed to do that there it's very clear that's not an option a clean and well maintained campus is a focus for us as well as some limited outdoor areas for participating in some common areas outside that are visually buffered from the community room checks are consistently done to ensure safety and program compliance as well as our curfew which is 10 pm unless for a special circumstance to the success of the clients if they have an employment leader into the evening for example there would be an exception made there I know visitors are allowed without permission and again only if it's for the success of the client and their path within the program those off-campus wraparound services and we're really looking to address homelessness in the broader surrounding communities so we're already doing Outreach to we've heard from some business owners that they have current problems so we're trying to to address that right now and really utilize this program as a resource to be able to do that in addition we're adding a phone number an email to provide the surrounding Community regular ways to communicate with us whether they have questions or complaints or concerns or just ideas about the program they will have direct access to my staff as well as our Police Department that we collaborate with closely and the our nonprofit partner CBI is all part of that team that helps to respond to those questions and or concerns um we also are doing a review of the neighborhood to the south of the hotel to make sure that we can provide any available resource within the city that we currently have available we're also looking at Street lighting for example to see if we can make improvements to that neighborhood and really bring further resources and value as a neighbor to that area I think Natalie's going to come back up to address Community engagement thank you I wanted to give you a sense of what we're hearing from our community and these are a couple of examples this was a survey that was completed by the airshow Morrison Institute back in 21 and it was specific to the role of policing in addressing homelessness and basically we had over 60 percent of the public and this is statistically valid telling us that that is a very high priority for our community we have also done some analysis most recently for social media there's been a lot of coverage in the newspapers and on television and on the radio about homelessness in downtown Phoenix and urban camping and there's been a lot of coverage also on the off the streets program but also for this purchase of the hotel and so we took a look at all of those those comments and the very large majority are either positive about what it is we're doing or neutral there's about one percent that are negative we have heard some common themes from our neighbors to the South again we are very committed to working with them staying in contact with them and being a good neighbor they are there are some fears um this is you know not unusual for areas that are adjacent to these types of uses we want to change that and with this neighborhood they're fearful of crime and drug use they are frustrated with the city at this point because they keep telling us no no no and we've continued moving forward and and it's hard because this is a this is such an incredible need for the entire facility for the entire city and so it's hard to listen to our residents but also to know the bigger picture of what it is we're trying to achieve in general they're concern about property value impacts we feel that that will not that will be addressed with being a very good neighbor there's been questions about paying too much for the hotel or is this going to be adding taxes that would not happen directly this would be a budgeted item year after year we have heard some positive feedback though for sure that has been in the minority um I'm going to go ahead and answer some of these other questions that we have heard um and ask Lindsay to come up as well um after I go through the first one again why is this in East Mesa we've we've talked about that this is about spreading the services and not overburdening any particular area are we paying too much the city of Mesa because this is federally funded has to go through a very intense process an appraisal process so we have to go through an appraisal process and then hire in another appraiser to go through a review of that appraisal to make sure that it's all legitimate and accurate and so we have gone through that process they they take a very serious look at the use and what's happening in the state but also here locally we are right in the middle of of what that appraisal is we do not feel we are overpaying for the hotel if if we do why did we choose Community Bridges Community Bridges is one of the most robust providers we have a few um non-profits that are just amazing partners for Mesa and New Leaf save the family but Community Bridges is another one and they um they just have a lot of access to Services they have a great system and they're able to take our clients off campus to get them other services that they need that are behavioral health and mental health types of things so we have been working with them for over three years and are feeling at this point is that it would be the worst idea ever to change our path right now as we're going through a transition but we also recognize that we owe it to our community to go through some kind of a process so what we are agreeing to do is after a couple of years of being open and that we're we're stabilized that we would go through a public request for proposal process um how much of taxpayer funds are going to be used for this project so we are using federal dollars to purchase it to renovate it and to run it until the end of 2026 thereafter it would be a City Council budget decision why aren't we looking elsewhere it's clear they don't want it here that again is the East Mesa we actually tried to purchase another hotel near Superstition Springs mall and it had a a deed restriction a very old deed restriction that um forced us to move on and so this was the only other location at the time that we could find and that was basically our sweet spot where it was the right size and because I think you know Lindsay has said we don't want to be everything to everyone we want to to be a very specific purpose and getting people launched and on the right path so why can't a non-profit provide this program instead of the city they could but we are right now wanting to have the city maintain ultimate control over the quality of the program we want to make control about how the property is used because these federal dollars would have to get repaid by the city of Mesa if it is not used for eligible services so we want to make sure that's the case we will be audited and so we will we want to do that and um we we want the council to have options in the future depending on what's happening in the communities depending on what's happening with homelessness in Mesa you know the the cheese moves and things change all the time in this area and so we're not saying we're stuck on this forever we're saying this is an incredibly successful program today and we want to continue it for the time being I'll let Lindsay come up for a couple of these others okay we've also had questions about if if this program is so safe why do we have police presence 24 7 and we have really chosen that just to make sure that we have safety for our clients our staff as well as the surrounding community so that is very much part of our Good Neighbor policy and we're very committed to that how will the city control drug use and crime at the hotel so this I believe is based around current activities that have been reported to us on the property currently as well as in the surrounding area we do have strong policies and procedures that do not allow drug use on our property as well as criminal activity so that would not be allowed within our clientele or on the property itself we have that police officer there so if there is someone coming on the property or doing anything that you know doesn't fit Within the um the program but also within laws and ordinances of the city there'll be someone there right right then and there that can see it and address it immediately and again that would help to address some of those issues in the surrounding Community when you have that visual police presence right there all the time what happens to people who don't succeed and are asked to leave the program so if someone is not successful in the program if they don't agree to comply or make positive progress over time in the program and they are asked to leave or people may choose to leave they are always supported in that they are provided other opportunities support services and transportation to the next place they choose and so it's not that they're simply kicked out and you know walk out the door that is a very coordinated approach where we we provide a lot of support will this program attract more homeless in Mesa so we can't we can't control the number of homeless people in Mesa but we do not believe it will impact people in the area or contribute to increased homelessness in the area or in the community again we have had this program for three years we really believe it's an asset to the community it allows us to enforce encampments for example so you're not having that visual presence and some of those challenges that other communities nearby are having and so we do not believe it will attract more homelessness we have a lot of um programs in place and policies and our team that works within the city to address homelessness regularly will this project cause more homelessness urban camping or panhandling in the area similar to that previous answer no we have not seen that we have you know seen the opposite impact actually where you know we have a presence there that is very aware of this issue we have Outreach Specialists and things of that nature so if there is someone in nearby typically we have an Outreach team that's already out looking and trying to help people or our police officers that are doing that and so so no we don't believe that would be if anything it would be harder to have a presence there because we have so so much visibility and and presence and awareness ourselves that um that would not happen will people be allowed to leave the facility and hang out in the neighborhood so again we have tons of structure and expectations for people in the program it's very action oriented there's staff and police on site and it's it's a very supportive place to pee to be people do not have to leave the program during the day that is how some other programs operate and so no they will not be allowed to leave they will be following their action plan and taking action and involved with staff on a regular basis um so we just wanted to quickly review Charlotte mentioned um a lot of this already but I just quickly for the improvements to the property some of the reasons that it really helps to um helps our program that fencing and closing off of some of the access points does really allow us to have a more supportive environment we also just can control we don't really want people walking on the property and wandering around so closing off those accents points really allows us to have the traffic coming in from Main Street as the main entry and exit and allows us to visualize who's coming and going we have a check in and out process with our clients and so that just is a much better way to do that on this property with with the current access points we would we would find Great Value in closing those off the trees and other improvements the dog park it's really meant to it's it's a dog run really meant to allow our residents to stay connected to their pets which is a great value and helps them be successful in the program so with that we need an area where they can take their animals and um do so safely we also have the play area which is really accommodating all of the families that we serve and the kids in the program and then the Ada improvements which really support our um the disabled population that we serve again 39 of our current clients do have a physical disability and so we find Great Value and of course as a property itself it's great to have those Ada improvements that don't already exist this showcases that eight foot wall that we're requesting as well as the gate so those Gates would remain closed clients would not have access to come and go through this particular entry point which is the East Side looking West at the property that gate would remain closed at all times unless there were some larger vehicle like a trash truck or fire engine that needed to get through but they are not automatic Gates they would need to have a clicker and have staff give access to them sorry going backwards there and this is the back of the property looking North again a similar fence and gate to assist in control and just our and our Good Neighbor policy and the addition of all those trees in the back and on the side would be a benefit We Believe to the neighborhood as well here's that area for the the dog run as well as an addition of an ADA ramp in the back to help our clients in turn exit the building we also are adding security cameras just for security measures and safety measures and tying those in with our Police Department so they can utilize them as well in their crime Center this is a visualization this is not an look at what it would look like but a rendering just to show you again from the back on um I didn't say anything the wrong Street the back of the property looking north towards Main Street I will say that block wall there would be a gate closed um the great all the time again only for those larger needs if trash is being picked up and that kind of thing you can see the trees and the other Landscaping improvements the building has been painted and uplifted as well and then this is the front view this is from the corner of Main Street and Sun air looking towards the property so this is the main street entrance on the right there and you can see again large shade trees and just the those improvements to the property and making it just a much more visually pleasing space as well we wanted to just overview our timeline we have done extensive Community engagement over the summer now we're at the um the Planning and Zoning recommendation stage we would then move to in November to a city council meeting for consideration there if that is successful we would continue with the purchase of the property into the end of the year and complete design and begin property improvements into early 2024. and without if you have other questions we're happy to answer them any questions for the applicant from the board go ahead Lindsay thank you for your presentation you had uh mentioned the you you described in detail the site improvements being done and then you mentioned some neighborhood either public works or Public Safety improvements that were under considerations such as street lights is there can you elaborate on that and is there something more than street lights uh thank you for asking that chair and board member um yes so within our Good Neighbor policy we are writing a good neighbor report as well and try and addressing some of those things so we are really looking right now at we've heard Street Lighting in the area is not very robust and that creates some safety concerns for the neighbors and so we're doing a full assessment right now to look at is it possible to add more Street lighting there's also requests to have Lighting in some of the Alleyways and so we're having that assessed right now by our transportation department we're also working within any all of our other departments so our community engagement team which really focuses on working with neighborhoods has talked to some of the neighbors already we have a neighborhood registration program so the neighborhood to the South is registered and we have established a new neighborhood leader through this process and that person is just a great um connector and a liaison between the city and the neighborhood about not this program necessarily but how we connect City resources to the neighborhood how they can have more of a voice in other activities we have brought Community dumpsters out to the neighborhood as well and helped with some education on code issues and helping people to have a cleanup before any enforcement was done and so just really wrapping around those Services we're looking at the viability of a block watch if the neighborhood would want that that's a a program offered through our police department and so um all of those kind of support services we're open to other feedback from the neighborhood if they have other ideas I'm just curious you repeatedly said that there would be no drop in or walk-up services and then I I I'm it's a closed campus so they're not allowed to leave unless there's a specific reason I'm just curious if there'd be no walking out is I'm sure that's okay yeah so people have appointments throughout the day they may have a doctor's appointment or a job to go to so everyone's coming and going for those types of reasons they're being transported we have transportation um opportunities built within the program so you know our staff would actually drive them to those appointments and provide services of that nature as well so they are allowed to leave for those types of services a lot of the kids are school age so that's happening too throughout the day so a lot of normal activities that we all do throughout our day for those types of appointments and and things that really support people and being successful in this program would continue on thank you we're good thank you very much thank you so much so as part of this we have um quite a few comments we've been given packets that include a plethora of emails that we've been able to review and as well we've got comment cards of those folks that are here that would like to speak on this item as well and so we will begin to have everyone come down uh we ask that when you come down and would like to speak that you come up please state your name and your address for the record and then we ask that everyone keeps those comments to three minutes seeing with the number that we have we have quite a few so we'd ask everybody to kind of respect that allow everybody a chance and an opportunity to speak so I apologize now if I say your name wrong so please bear with me with that but I'll do my best so the first one I have is uh Catherine Atwood I'm Catherine Atwood my address is 10160 East Starion Avenue in Mesa and um good afternoon I was born and raised in and live in Mesa I have a genuine caring concern for homeless in Mesa um I have participated in point of time counts given a time and resources to organizations to help people in need near where I live I've even opened my home up to two separate women and their children to live in my home and my family with my family for extended periods of time so that they were not on the streets I know a lot of time has gone into this project but regarding the off the streets project as it is right now I am here to respectfully voice my opposition I believe that city government should not be directly involved in the rehabilitation of our homeless population Mesa can and should facilitate or partner with ngos or others who are in that line of work but to purchase a primitive facility is out of scope for city government um thank you chairman Ayers council members and those who have presented for all the ways that you guys make it Mesa awesome I respectfully submit this comment to you and hope you will consider it as you make these important decisions for city of Mesa residents and our future thank you thank you Catherine appreciate your comments next up I have Joseph Hildebrand Council board I just want to say I had property over there for 23 years I only had one incident um a wire was ripped off in the backyard construction wire and a bicycle I'm building a new house right down the street On All or the same neighborhood my main concern I think it was too big of a project for the neighborhood um for example I'm building this new home and night times I go by and I went by the Windmere Hotel and see the amazing crime scenes out there with the crime lab you know these ladies come up here saying everything's successful we do have a board member here that's a principal 72 percent it's not almost passing it's just below passing you know I do think they should get their numbers up a little bit up to 80 percent or better with their success program now you guys are looking for 90 days all the neighbors here they're going to be having four times 90 so many different people coming and going I had a home in San Tan Valley I went in the backyard I had a guy there just laying in the backyard on the porch had to call the police department this could happen in our neighborhood if you guys had houses right there would you want to come home and see somebody laying in your backyard and that's all I have thank you appreciate it thank you very much next up I have Leslie Wilson and if you could come up and state your name and address for the record I prefer not to give my address this is on the Internet isn't it uh you have my address on the blue card yes is that sufficient uh yeah okay cool thank you yeah my name is Leslie Wilson I'm a Precinct captain in ld10 and I represent not only my family but also multiple other families who weren't able to make it here today we are opposed to this project numerous identical projects around the country like this have failed and the definition of insanity is repeating repeatedly completing the same action while expecting a different result and this project falls under that category um it is not the government's job to run social programs that is the job of Charities churches non-profits and the government is overstepping by doing this you cannot guarantee that the problems suffered by the residents living near the Windermere will not be duplicated by those for those located near the ground and um it it's noted that it was noted earlier that seniors families members of domestic violence or victims that they would be the ones who this would be focused on um I you know the world we live in now it doesn't matter what day of the week it is someone can identify as just about anything and they have to be acknowledged so what happens when somebody let's talk about a man identifies as a woman that day he comes in he says I need help I am an abused female now this program can't discriminate against him they have to take him now this the anyone who's there you know children other women they're in danger so I don't know if that's been something that has come across the radar or been thought about at all but um it's we we are wholly opposed to this um I I would imagine that there are uh the people working on this project don't have to go home at night and live near it they get to go home to somewhere else maybe even a whole other town somewhere so their Community isn't affected by this like we're going to be so um your project is going to put Mesa residents in danger and um you know the light rail homeless shelters all of that there are ways around this without the government getting involved and we we would like you to consider just ending the project thank you next I have um I believe it's Jeff Williams okay I'm Jeff Williams I lived in the area for about 50 years and um I see uh in my mailbox statements to the fact that we got uh sex offenders across the street and the candidate Hotel down there across the street maybe about 100 yards from the school pickup the kids and then we got the colonnade and plus the the other one down the street from there the miles mall are the miles Motel that's just as bad that you see the cops there all the time they're not controlling the situation there it's getting worse both those little cases are are blight on East Mesa I've lived out there where they had a thriving out there fella Rose we used to sneak in down there have fun but I tell you what it is getting to a point now that you can't you know it's it's dangerous to walk around there you don't know who you're going to run up against and to have those facilities right next to my neighborhood well I just don't like it and I might not come across as well as I want to I just want to let you know that I'm not in favor of this idea and I thank you thank you Mr Williams appreciate your comments um see okay so I I apologize again so Morgan is that bad I killed it it was real close I I murdered it that's all right good evening my name is Morgan leasheski I live on Alder Avenue um I also represent a whole lot of people that are opposed to this idea I know the slides and stuff said that there was two oppositions or two letters or whatever I can either confirm nor deny whether that's true but everybody that I've spoke to a lot of people that are still in this room by the way are on the same page um myself and a few of the other neighbors we've gone around and we actually started a petition the people that were against this issue um I think currently we're like 160 something signatures we also worked with the uh the city clerk's office to get some information as far as the city council goes uh people that would like to remain nameless but we got some more information that we need 150 foot radius around the proposed site to push the super majority vote to city council so that paperwork had to be turned into City Court which was turned into the clerk I believe which was turned in and then they were also served which we have copies of so uh you know we'll see where that goes in the meantime I also have five children I got teenagers and I got one in diapers the pickup is right there next to the hotel for three out of the five so that that in itself causes a concern when I came back from Iraq because I'm a combat veteran myself so is my wife I worked for the Department of Corrections for the better part of six years and uh all of the propositions that you're seeing in these slides and all the required things which are not currently up to standard at this hotel sounds a whole lot like prison with eight foot walls and security cameras and we got 24 7 police presence currently at the Windermere because I grew up on the east side of Mesa I've lived here my whole life but uh currently at the Windermere you see nothing but the same problems that everybody else has already spoke of so this this program it might have great success that's that's awesome and I'm I'm super happy for them however the surrounding area is not flourishing because of this program that is not a thing and then to uh to speak to the Good Neighbor policy just very quickly we're talking about the street lights because I think that was what your question was uh it's we've complained my wife specifically has complained about our street library now for the past two years and uh once that was mentioned at one of the community meetings which I'm not sure that all of these people that spoke before me were there for uh street lights are starting to get fixed you know so that way we will you know go quietly or whatever you however you'd like to put it it's uh oh you need street lights cool let's do that oh you guys want sidewalks you want you want alley lights cool let's do that that doesn't sound like a good neighbor that sounds like quid pro quo to me it sounds like cool you want something then I I'll give you something I want something from you if that makes more sense so I'll cut it short uh nonetheless we the vast majority of people are not for this idea so I I give a shout out to you know everybody from the office reads program as well as the city court and the clerks and everybody else detective rain especially detective rayne's a great guy detective rain's a really good dude um but uh yeah not in my backyard and that's all I got all right appreciate your comments thank you uh Michael Hughes thank you thank you my name is Michael Hughes 1725 East Brown um I'm here in support of this project I am the CEO at a new leaf and we have many programs and we have La macita we have the East Valley Men's Center I could go on and on they're all full so I am sure that all of you know just like everybody behind me knows that um the homeless problem is an epidemic it's nobody's going to deny that it is a problem that is out of control and I had a lot of things to say but there's so much that's already been covered so I'd like to take a different tact and I am here almost as a character reference I would like to let you know that if you and voting to support this if you do I would like to let you know that my experience working with Community Bridges over the last several several years is there an agency that is very committed they will get the job done they work very hard in terms of the things that were identified by the city so I want you to know I can attest to that secondly and more importantly I can also attest I candidly believe that there's no stronger City in Maricopa County that is more committed to trying to solve this problem than the city of Mesa they are committed they will follow through with what they say they will do they are extremely involved and very generous and very supportive of the non-profit community and I can testify to you that what they say they will do they will do and they will follow through and this program is very important it's very important to the community and to all of the neighbors that is you know understandably saying they're not for it I can let you know that the city will do everything they can to make sure that this is successful that this is safe and that they will do everything they can within their power to make this homeless problem somewhat solvable but I I'm I'm here to let you know that they are second to none in terms of what they commit to what they follow through with and then what they're willing to do and I think that that is really important for the citizens in this community to know thank you so very much thank you Mr Hughes appreciate your comments next I have Cherie anello my name is Sherry anello I am a Mesa resident I've attended many of the meetings concerning this and my questions have not been answered and actually I was treated rather rudely at one meeting I have been told personally by Shane krauser a lawyer and a constitutional law and criminal law professor that to move residents off public land we do not have to provide a bed for them we do not even need to know a bet is available we just have to to to direct them to where they can go to ask for one so why are we taking on ownership liability and maintenance for a property when or if a transient trips down a stair or is raped by someone else in the hotel and the city is sued who is responsible to finally pay the bill for our lawyers to defend us when one transient and this is from Demolition people I've we've talked to when one transient Cooks meth just one time in one room of that hotel the entire building by law is required to be gutted and rebuilt who will finally pay that bill should that kind of thing happen how long might that building sit as an eyesore before this can properly be completed coven money will not be around for these kinds of expenses this subject also is referred to as mesa's homeless well if they do not have a home they cannot be mesa's as that implies they reside at a location sleeping on a street corner does not make them a resident owning or renting a home does the fact that transients can ride the rail for free attest to the fact that they can be in Mesa one day and Phoenix the next so we have no responsibility to take care of this problem in this way providing hotels only attracts more transients as San Francisco Portland Seattle and more have proven true residents of Mesa want real answers not failed policies tried so many other times in so many other cities why are we not spending money on lawyers to push back on Federal and State levels to um construct our wall and enforce our borders why do we let drugs come through so easily why hasn't the city council moved on lowering taxes and removing regulations for homeowners and Builders so that affordable housing is available to all we aren't why aren't we working on providing Mental Hospitals so that people who truly are not able to work can be helped I urge you do not approve this permit it is not proper use of tax dollars and it is outside the scope of government and as I sit down I would like to ask anyone in attendance who opposes this can drive plan to raise their hands to show our disapproval thank you for your time thank you for your comments appreciate that next I have uh Peter anello I'll give you the one two punch my name is Peter O'Neill I'm a maester resident I have some prepared emotions I want to just address some of the things that the young ladies said when they were coming up here they said that there were 16 letters that were positive and only two negative but then they went out and said well there's a whole bunch of people who are opposed to this so which is it they say federal dollars would be good to 2026 well then who pays after that me I'm a Mesa resident you if you live in Mesa can be paying for that after that So based on the 2023 point in time count Tempe and Mesa combined accounts for approximately 70 percent of East Valley sheltered transients but these two cities only represent 43 percent of the East Valley population why you have 43 of tax paying residents taking responsibility for 70 of the problem and why is Mesa taking responsibility to purchase a hotel transients are just that transients they move from location to location as fluid problems for more than just Mesa it doesn't pencil out for Mason residents that are also having trouble paying their bills in addition we've been told that a 24-hour police presence will begin the transient Hotel who's paying for that we need cops on the streets not sitting at one location they need to be out where they need to be my understanding is that the police force is less now than it was about 10 years ago and we have a larger population so why are we positioning police in one place when they should be patrolling and protecting the whole city I don't have a cop sitting at my house why is it one sitting there as this problem grows as it always has in every city that has provided similar answers one hotel will not be enough at what point do you consider the needs of those who are taking money for those projects instead lower taxes on residents so they can afford a home repeal regulations on businesses so they can hire employees close the border and drugs to illegal immigrants incarcerate drug addicts and drug dealers those are solutions that the mesa city residents will support I ask you to deny this repeat this primitive thank you thank you Mr and I will appreciate the comments next I have Melinda bacon hello my name is Melinda bacon and I am a former property owner in Mesa and currently reside in Queen Creek as a real estate professional is more than double time for decades now I really have a great appreciation for the scope of this topic um I just want to tell you I was a homeless pregnant teen who was a victim of child abuse so I can come at this from that perspective and offer that by the grace of God I've gone on to live a great life but and I appreciate and understand the compassion that everybody here has for the homeless and this project is being um targeted toward helping the most vulnerable but I also understand that controlling millions of dollars in play is an attractive thing and rather than the city owning the facility and incurring significant indirect or indefinite and direct costs to Mesa taxpayers through the acquisition development and ongoing operation costs of a hotel campus the city should instead direct the American Rescue plan dollars and other dollars to cooperating ngos like Community Bridges who've already proven that their effective and successful at addressing the needs of homeless so instead of the city incurring direct acquisition development and expenses that are ongoing for a property the city owns and that are only going to be subsidized until 2026 those already committed funds should be given in the form of a grant to one or more ngos for their purchase and operation of the facility and have the NGO be responsible for the ongoing expenses through their own proven fundraising resources which can include their own Grant programs that could be set up from this project now I heard one woman say that the city wanted to maintain control and I can see the concern for that they could do that through things such as the Planning and Zoning that is approved for the facility or location maybe another location if a different one is selected and also through periodic quality control and outcomes audits that would be tied to the funds disbursement over the period of time to the grantee so for these reasons and the fact that I believe this is really more effective for the people who are actually transitioning through this housing as well as more respectful to the taxpayers of Mesa I do oppose the city actually doing this project thank you thank you for your comments appreciative uh next up I have uh Christina mallow good evening I'm Christina amalo I am a Mesa resident um I just want to remind everyone that any project funded by the government is funded by the people it doesn't matter what level of government taxpayers are funding it and I understand this is going to be like it makes the city of Mesa must be looking forward to these big tax dollars coming in and that looks really good in a budget but this is Americans paying for it um it's it's it and just you know I heard the comment that um that she's the residents have said no no I just want to remind you your tax paying residents are your bosses and your bosses are telling you no um the police presence a police presence increased that's not if I see more police in my neighborhood I'm wondering what's going on why what's going on what do I need to be aware of what should I be worried about that's not a good thing how many illegals are going to be housed in this how many illegals right now are we paying for from the city of Mesa it's not our job to fund illegals but we know that illegals will end up in there um the light rail again is just another way to spread vagrants farther into the East Valley I've spoken with a delivery driver extensively who delivers in Ahwatukee and this delivery driver has seen vagrants going through the neighborhood checking people's doorknobs house after house after house seeing if they can get in um residents there they have packages and other things go missing all the time because of a higher vagrant presence vagrants are walking through scouting and seeing what their next hit's going to be you're putting more vagrance around senior commit senior citizen communities I would not feel good having my mom or my grandma living in that neighborhood knowing this is coming to them I have spoken with the Mesa police officer on my street he came because we called him because we had more vagrants in our area he said we can't do anything I can't ask them to leave unless they're actually doing something I don't want more vagrance hanging around why would these people in this neighborhood want more vagrants hanging around I have been all over the nation with my family and I will tell you downtown Phoenix Rivals the vagrant population and problem that we've seen in any other big city of the nation San Francisco Seattle La I encourage you to watch a documentary called the fight for the soul of Seattle it is about the city of Seattle and their City Council voted to buy a hotel to House people just like this you know what happened to that hotel a cesspool a Cess pool this is supposed to be temporary and it's supposed to help people the the thing we saw up with the steps five steps you know people on their own eighty percent of that of those five steps are funded by taxpayers eighty percent with the hopes that eventually they get to the last step and are funding themselves it is not our job to pay for someone else my family works hard to support ourselves you know the best way the best impetus to get someone to support themselves is to not give them free stuff I am done thank you appreciate your comments thank you uh next up Alan Tom are you doing honorable board members and I want to say to talk about the recent police officer if they can do their job respectfully to all the city officials over here but I respectfully disagree with them board members I can I get two three hours why this is a bad project they don't even talk about the Oscar a property values in the neighborhood at all we own one the primary corners for 65 years in Mesa and when the five oldest Chinese family is amazing I've seen a lot I've been coming here over the last 40 years one way or another try to protect my property rights my property values protect neighborhoods over there you know I just cannot believe what I've seen in 65 years or 60 years here my point is I know you folks are all smart you wouldn't want to live by one of these facilities yourself and I decided to tell you for hours you mentioned about bring a path to these people there help them out to get back better well I think this country we spent hundreds of billions and trillions of dollars trying to do this in the country and look at the results of what we got in this country here not much from a lot of money spent over there people have to have their own driving stuff initiative to better themselves why they're on the streets I don't know I know there's a problem but it should be at the taxpayers particular ownership Mesa being in the position of buying his license two three hours and I'm being respectful of the city officials and also to Mesa police officer I love them what they do but again is uh they're just so many people went by proving this you can open up Pandora's Box you can open a nightmare up a candle where I'm just going to come out you bring these homeless people there's a thing that could come in oh you can't come in well they're going to stay somewhere in the neighborhood or get back on the light Railway somewhere as they all should know all this is just going to do to bring a microscopic Cosmic nightmare to in a neighborhood already that's got problems already and it again is pretty much about this Federal money it's something that's Federal money gonna come and help to pick up the Lost valuation of these homes behind there you go talk to any real estate agent right now say right now what is my house worth not knowing about the homeless shelter then they tell you both on the shelter we'll help you have to take a drop because less people there'd be less and more people interested in buying your home from the shower it's a no-brainer all this is a no-brainer yes I love the that makes are doing trying to give this big snow washing job how great everything's gonna be tossed to church they cannot guarantee nothing more remember you guys yourselves also smart you know they can't guarantee thing and once this goes in there that just happens and you think once they give it everything's off the table when that's something like that happens it's just going to be awful it's going to be uncontrolled and it's going to get to a point that Mesa there's gonna be so much constant for operational expensive there there's a polygon amount of gold so just shut down get out of the business my point being is this I can talk to you three hours and all the bad things about about this project and unfortunately I might be back here Wednesday next week they're about to fight about the fast food restaurant we'll see you guys again okay and then I'll cry somewhere over there got my humor sarcasm thanks a lot there but yeah I definitely am against it I don't personally I don't live too far from the hole in there and I met you around those Corners there we go there for 65 years and put yourself in my position in the neighbor's position you wouldn't want in your neighborhood you heard the old saying we understand here by these it's kind of project may be necessary but nimbing not my backyard you know respectfully take care and I love you all okay appreciate your involvement Mr Tom thank you uh next I have will stassi I hope I said that right my name is will stassi I live in the neighborhood I have some differences of opinion with some of the facts that were presented to you uh uh it appears that there's a difference of opinion between West Mesa and East Mesa as the number of facilities that house people is dividing line of Gilbert Road well I thought geographically Center Street was the dividing line in Mesa between West Mesa and East Mesa which then takes and puts some of those facilities in East Mesa operating costs when I go to the federal government and ask them for capital expenditure money to buy it I can foresee what the water bill is and the electric bill is in December and I'm going to ask for that money because I know what it is I know what it's going to be in 2024. I know what it's going to be in 2025. I've got to go back and ask for the funds again and again and again if I can't predict what those costs are day one they can predict them so there's a difference in what we think is operating costs how much am I going to pay for the soap to wash the sheets they talked about the 73 percent success rate they didn't talk about the 20 glass half full ass half empty they didn't talk about the 27 percent failure rate uh we're going to provide you transportation to go across the street to Arby's to get food well you got to bring food in you've got to feed these people so you have to have catered food in you have to have a school bus to take the kids to school you have to have somebody to take them to the doctor's appointment obviously they've got a van to do that they didn't tell you they told you about the street lights in the area they didn't tell you that there's no sidewalks in the area and they're not going to put sidewalks in now you're going to make a zoning decision on the definition of a social service facility and I gave you a list of definitions of Social Service facilities none of which provide medical services is it a temporary shelter for homeless is it a social service facility is it a Human Service facility what are you going to Zone it as there a legal document dim detailing and limiting the scope of services provided by CBI or any other provider are all CBI facilities in the city of Arizona in any Arizona City to find a social service facilities when you look at the zoning wording is approval with conditions the word conditions is vague and not well defined if you review mesa's owning chapter 21 bonus intensity Zone overlay District explain 11-21-1 C promote development patterns that encourage conservation of natural resources and provide opportunities for renewable energy production you go on to uh 11 21 3 11 21 5. Energy Efficiency plans is it a correct statement that bottom line 95 percent of chapter 21 bonus intensity Zone overlay does not apply Mr Stasi if you could kind of wrap it up a little bit you're already over your three minutes if you can kind of give you good wrap up and then it pretty quickly here for us that'd be great thank you CBI is supposed to have a medical van on site and a uh triage nurse that's providing some Medical Services they didn't Define that in homeless shelter so I'm saying what are you going to Zone it as and when you go home tonight the decision that you make is it's not in my backyard thank you Mr sassy appreciate your comments I know we have someone on the phone as well is that true yes chair I'm I've been talking to the booth and we're not positive if they're online or not but there's no name provided on the online comment card to request to speak but if the member of the public that submitted is online go ahead and raise your hand so that we can unmute you seeing anything okay okay I think that's the last card I have right there okay so we'd like to invite the applicant to come back up if they'd like to respond to any of the comments there you go thank you I'm going to go ahead and turn let the police department speak first about some of the safety related questions and concerns raised thank you good afternoon my name is Tom and Trier I'm the commander for the Red Mountain division which the property we're discussing today is located in okay I've been the commander since January of 2023 for the Red Mountain area and as of August 14th the area south of Maine from power to Greenfield was a husband designated as part of part of the Red Mountain District I bring that up because that is my area of responsibility um so with that being said I have been involved over the last few months with the discussions and some of the community related meetings that we've held and I've offered my thoughts and my my direction if you will as far as how the police department will be operating in that area and has been operating in that area since my since I've taken over the command I have we have increased police activity if you will east of Greenfield to power over the last several months proactively with the intent of having a greater presence and looking to identify any potential issues and or trends Although our activity has increased the crimes have not that's a good thing I also like to think that because of our increased presence that we've we've mitigated or or kept any crimes at Bay from even occurring that continues to be the mission moving forward and we will continue to have an Ever strong presence the property itself specifically the way it's designed I believe will provide a much safer environment than currently exists I could talk about calls for service at the current property that is not under to control of the city nor do we have anybody stationed there on a full-time basis um because we don't have a ever-present officer at the site things are going to occur from time to time however with the plan moving forward I believe our presence can sit consistent with the architectural enhancements will provide not just a safer environment for those that are within that are staying there that are residing at the at the hotel but I believe that the community surrounding the areas will also benefit because of the mission-driven focus with having a greater presence driving basically focusing on that area and having our officers proactively be present on a regular basis people that are going to congregate in that area around that area that aren't part of the hotel we will deal with accordingly based on on the state statutes and and city codes but the ones that are going to be residing and dedicated to the hotel specifically are going to have a very very strict set of rules to live by if they violate those rules they're going to be out and they're not going to be simply moved out to the to the curve they're going to be escorted to another location via the NGO partner that the city has set up with so I feel very confident that my my directive and the mission of the Red Mountain division in terms of how we mitigate some of the issues that we've experienced in other parts of the city will continue to be successful and continue to drive the crime issues in that area down I believe our presence will continue to be a positive and I I certainly welcome and I have already offered my my personal contact information the opportunity to meet with residents and address any issues that they may have going forward here in the Mesa Police Department we operate under the comstat model so we are held accountable every Commander is held accountable based on results we're very results oriented with that being said we're also there with the with the idea and the concept I personally believe is to help those who can't help themselves whenever possible thank you thank you Commander I appreciate that thank you Lindsay and I are going to try to address some of the other questions that were raised um one thing was around the country they're doing reportedly the same program and failing this is not the same program and um you know we there there are lots of different models that are happening it might look the same because they're hotels and they're being purchased but what happens on that campus and in those hotels and the expectations that are set and the rules that we put in place and the safety that we create is completely different and so I do not I think it's apples and oranges to compare to other things across the country and I would never stand in front of you and recommend something that I thought would fail because it was like others or expect something different um as it relates to um funding I absolutely agree this is Public Funding absolutely and um and just like it is Public Funding and funded by the people what we do is provide service for the people and that is the public in all its forms and we provide service by people and so um you know liability was talked about um everything we do has that potential in the city of Mesa and that is why we are coming before you today in a very intentional way to say we have thought through this we have practice for more than three years we have data that proves that we're being successful we we feel really confident about this program and this process we would not do that to our to our taxpayers that is not our that that is the last thing that we would do and so I can't talk about liability and all the things that might happen what I can tell you is our intentions and our plans and how we are doing everything possible for checks and balances speaking of checks and balances Community Bridges does have an agreement with us and so there are some very specific measurements and things that we require of them so there are checks and balances already today um there was a question about why not Regional why aren't there others that are coming to the table in the region to help with homelessness other than Tempe and Mesa I agree with that and it's been a conversation in the region and our mayor actually helped chair a whole conversation brought together a strategic plan that is regional and and is now setting out some regionally defined goals because this is not parochial homelessness is not it is a regional issue and there are other things that cities need to start doing and working together so that work is underway but I will also let you know that we know that 60 of the people in Mesa are served by the region today so we know we are benefiting from Regional Services just like others are as well or the region potentially is benefiting from services in Mesa and speaking of residency the way that we are defining do you live in Mesa um is is a little complicated because um over history um they used to require them to say okay where did you sleep last night as um as a sense of residency that's been another very robust conversation in the region because that doesn't help any of us really understand where people are coming from and and what our numbers are so we really need better data to know that um and and so Mesa has been talking about defining residency and again it would be through an agreement so that it would be required like this um where did you live for at least a year before you became homeless what was the address and what was the ZIP code and then the other way we would Define Regional is that we would anyone that our Police Department brought that was in one of our Parks or on our streets and who said I want help we will accept them because that is what we do and that's part of our system and so those are things that we're talking about when it comes to residency and and defining that um the only other thing that I will say is that we plan again to document all of these things and these commitments and they will be part of the Good Neighbor policy and they will be a stipulation in the case that comes before city council I appreciate all of you and the role that you play this evening I know that some of the comments that are being heard are difficult it's it's part and parcel to what we do and and what we have to do all the time and and in this case this is a city-wide need and and we we need to keep doing it there was discussion about the 73 percent um we'll never bet a thousand these are people that are in crisis and we're going to keep working in and we're going to make it better as we go I will say that that 73 percent is an average over the entire time we've been doing this and we've learned a lot and those three plus years and so the percentage is actually probably two day closer to 80 success so as we go we've been making it better and better um I think I'm going to let Lindsay come up and answer a couple of other questions that she was drafting unless you have any questions for me she says I covered it okay thank you so unless you have questions for us the um I am not seeing any okay well with that I really want to appreciate everyone being here and providing comments we appreciate everyone coming up all of these will be placed into the record as well as the many comments that we've received online both in support and not in support there's quite a few and we appreciate those will be included in record as we move forward so with that I will close the public meeting portion of this and we'll move into a board discussion so with that with the board is there any discussion or any items that we'd like to discuss as a board I think we could also move forward with a motion if anyone is so inclined I I do have a couple of comments um board member Peterson kicked off this discussion by stating that this is a complex issue and a complex problem and he's he's right on that and I notice in the written comments that we received ahead of time we have two former council members that have weighed in on this one of them supports this project one of them does not which I think sort of underscores how difficult these issues are to deal with and I appreciate those people that have come down today to make public comment on this and I've I've listened to your comments and um you know it just my my view on this is I I completely agree that homelessness is a serious problem it's a problem that we all need to be involved in dealing with Solutions um and and I respect all the work that's gone into this project but I'm not convinced that this is the right location for this for this project I know that the Main Street East Main Street area of Mesa is an area that I think has has experienced a lack of investment and lack of development over a number of years and I think that's a trend that in in recent years has started to reverse itself with projects that we've approved on this board and you know this project is a block west of the the Power Road Corridor which is an important Corridor in Mesa I also have watched the Banner Baywood campus grow and the medical facilities around that that campus continue to grow which also is a positive development for this area and I just I said I have I have concerns about this project and and what what kind of impact it may have in that area so again I appreciate all the work that's gone into this but my view is that this is uh is not the right location for this project [Music] I'd like to make a comment um I've literally I mean I've been a principal in that area for over 11 years and there does have to be some East Mesa resources um when I've worked with kids or families who have needed resources in the East we have not been able to access because everything is so West and that becomes really hard for families that are displaced or needing services or that are living in cars at the park Jefferson Park is right next door where we've had families living in the cars and multiple multiple homeless people at the Jefferson Park area and I know that a couple of years ago when the Windermere shelter came and I said this downstairs it actually decreased the amount of homelessness that was at the parks where kids couldn't play at him families be at so I I would disagree because the East has there are multiple schools in the East who need multiple resources and we always have to refer West and that becomes really difficult when we're talking about kids moving constantly and I mean every time they move is a two-year loss of education so that's what we're looking at so East does need a location and then I think I know that I've been to that motel for home visits and I know how rough it is already so if nothing goes there it's going to continue to be what it is so the drugs and that whatever the safety concerns are going to stay there without City overseeing it anyways so it's it's a double-edged sword in a sense because you either create a place where you can monitor and put regulations in place or you leave it what it is that is an unsafe environment anyways um and all of those hotels I mean we have the abandoned one that's down the street the bath house one that is really you know that creates just a lot of so without the resources it really makes it really difficult the people are the homeless is there anyways and I mean I'm sure police officer could talk police could talk about the Park area and how living in the cars in the public parking and all of the Just creates that anyway so it's a double-edged sword but I know the East has been wanting some resources because we don't have them thank you Jamie I just wanted to chime in some comments um certainly this is a I think it's it's very a tough case um really appreciate everyone speaking um and and sharing what you have to share today and especially those who live in nearby neighborhoods you are more most personally involved um in this decision and and your your voice definitely matters um the one thing I do think about here as the Planning and Zoning Board um what makes it sort of tough is that in reality our preview here where we can Vault here is on the zoning and the planning and the site plan um certainly there's emotional ties to the land use and what's going in here or what is currently there um and all those activities um but I kind of circle back to the presentation of Staff where they walk through um you know all of the criteria in terms of the zoning code is met or where it's not met they're bringing it into compliance by this new proposed zoning so that said I my vote is really going to be uh more about the zoning case before us I certainly believe that all of your views um and all that we shared tonight I think that that's those a lot of the issues that were discussed were more things that I think city council can factor into their decision making um because some of those are more and I guess I'm just trying to stick to to what our board is responsible to make decisions on so I just want you to understand um that's where I'm coming from no and I would Echo that as well I think as as a board that is that was exactly what I was thinking as well I think and again I Echo everyone here appreciate everyone's comments but as far as the Planning and Zoning Board our purview is pretty specific and that's that's where we're at it that does not by any stretch of the imagination mean that this ends here today so I think as a board that's what we need to look at and consider another one uh just to excuse me just a comment um I was born and raised west of Gilbert if that's West Mesa I now live west of Country Club and our area is inundated with social services in the area and we um and I love my neighborhood and I love the community I live in and it's a great place to be so I can certainly understand the sensitivity of introducing a new Social Service into an area that hasn't had one and the fear that that might draw but I can tell you that my children benefit by being around people that are in need they learn how to serve and they learn how to be well-rounded and that's the type of community that I've chosen to live in I'll also add that I really respected our police officers comment and I weigh that into what's the state of the hotel now and what's the state of it after this and I don't think you could argue that it would be worse with the police presence and with the uh the changes to the architecture and the security that would be introduced I think it would be maybe a Kickstarter it may not be this the um it may clean up the areas what I'm getting at as far as that specific property um but I would Echo what's been said about the zoning board and planning board is just that we're Limited in scope and what we can do as far as what's being proposed here today but I certainly appreciate the experience and the perspective shared of both the property owners and the residents who took time out of their days to come and comment and express their views I think some of the opposition was mainly on a policy level versus this specific site and plan and I'll certainly weigh that into my consideration but I just wanted to relay that comment that I I love where I live and I'm in West Mesa and we have a lot of Social Services there and it's been something that's um it's hard for the community at times because it gets trained of resources but at times I feel like I specifically have benefited by having these types of people around me and my in my neighborhood anything else all right anyone like to I'd like to entertain a motion if anyone like to bring one forward there's other comments no comments I make a motion to approve uh item 5A zoning case zon 23-00469 off the streets District 2 within the 6700 block of East Main Street the zero Block of South Sun air and the sorry 6700 block of East Alder Avenue located west of power world on the south side of Main Street rezone from limited commercial to limited commercial with bonus intensity Zone overlay Council use permit and site plan review this request will allow for Social Service facility um staff recommendations approval weight conditions second all right everyone please vote all right thank you everyone but the vote of five two one the motion passes appreciate everyone here tonight and again just to Echo that this will be moved further on and there's going to be more opportunity to interact and provide comment and we would absolutely kind of tell you that that's something that you should do we appreciate all of everyone being here in public comment as part of the process so I don't believe there's anything else from staff chair and board just wanted to announce again that we are going to be having a special hearing next week Wednesday the 20th and at that hearing we're going to be discussing several proposed text amendments which include our drive-through facilities site plan modification process we have some miscellaneous cleanup text amendments and then also historic preservation text amendments and we appreciate board member Crockett taking the home on that one for us all right with that I will uh get a motion to adjourn the meeting anyone motion to adjourn and second all right everyone please vote all right we're good thank you everyone appreciate it peace