Planning and Zoning Commission

Jim Harris, Chair Lake Havasu City Tiffany Wilson, Vice Chair Council Chambers Suzannah Ballard 92 Acoma Boulevard South Joan Dzuro Lake Havasu City, Arizona Paul Lehr 86403 Gabriele Medley www.lhcaz.gov JP Thornton Phil Annett, Alternate Mary Costa, Alternate Planning and Zoning Commission Regular Meeting Lonnie Stevenson, Alternate Minutes - Final Wednesday, August 6, 2025 9:00 AM 1. CALL TO ORDER Chair Harris called the meeting to order at 9:01 a.m. 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Chair Harris led the Pledge of Allegiance. 3. ROLL CALL Present: 7- Joan Dzuro, Paul Lehr, Lonnie Stevenson, Jim Harris, Mary Costa, JP Thornton and Phil Annett Absent: 3- Suzannah Ballard, Tiffany Wilson and Gabriele Medley Commissioner Lehr is present, but did not take a seat at the dais. He submitted a recusal request prior to the meeting. With four vacancies at the dais, Chair Harris invited Commissioners Annett, Costa, & Stevenson to take a seat. 4. CORRESPONDENCE AND ANNOUNCEMENTS Planning Division Manager Chris Gilbert noted City Council approved the Planned Development for Desert Sky Townhomes at 700 Delta Drive. An audit of goals and policies for the General Plan Update has been sent to Council Members, Commissioners, and members of the Technical Advisory (TAC) and General Plan Steering Committees (GPSC). He encouraged the Commissioners to look over the audit and provide feed back. The GPSC will be meet on August 13, 2025. 5. MINUTES ID 25-4899 Approval of the Minutes of the July 16, 2025, Planning & Zoning Commission Regular Meeting (Shelby Hennigan) Commissioner Annett moved to approve the Minutes of the July 16, 2025, Planning Lake Havasu City Page 1 Printed on 9/3/2025 Planning and Zoning Commission Minutes - Final August 6, 2025 & Zoning Commission Regular Meeting, seconded by Commissioner Thornton. The motion passed with the following vote: Aye: 6 - Dzuro, Stevenson, Harris, Costa, Thornton and Annett 6. PUBLIC HEARING Chair Harris provided an overview of the Public Hearing process. ID 25-4881 A Request for a Planned Development Rezone and General Development Plan for 669 Lake Havasu Avenue N, Tract 115, Block 2, Lots 1-4, from General Commercial (C-2) District to General Commercial/Planned Development (C-2/PD) District to Allow the Outdoor Storage Use to be Located in Front of the Primary Structure and Allow the Outdoor Storage Area to Exceed the Area of the Primary Structure (Trevor Kearns) City Planner Trevor Kearns reviewed the Staff Report [displayed PowerPoint], highlighting the following: • The subject property measures 1.66 acres and is developed with a 12,500 square foot commercial building located on the corner of Lake Havasu Avenue N. and Industrial Boulevard, • Highway 95 is to the west. The properties to the north and south are zoned General Commercial (C-2) District and are developed with commercial uses. The property to the east is zoned Light Industrial (LI) District and developed for industrial type uses. • The General Plan designates this area as Commercial Mixed Use. Mr. Kearns explained the applicant’s Letter of Intent requests to allow outdoor storage materials to be stored in front of the primary structure and allow the outdoor storage area to exceed the area of the primary structure. Staff recommends a perimeter screening device and that stored material not exceed 6-feet in height. Other than the requested exceptions, the request complies with the findings of the Development Code. This request will be heard by City Council on September 9, 2025. With no questions for Staff, Chair Harris invited the applicant to the podium. Paul Lehr, Lehr Architecture, is representing the applicant. He stated Mr. Kearns did a great job of representing the project and is happy to answer any questions. There were no questions for the applicant. Chair Harris opened the Public Hearing. Seeing no comments. He closed the Public Hearing. Mr. Kearns reviewed the recommended conditions for Code Compliance: Lake Havasu City Page 2 Printed on 9/3/2025 Planning and Zoning Commission Minutes - Final August 6, 2025 1. The development of the property shall substantially match the General Development Plan. 2. The perimeter barrier shall be a 6-foot-tall concrete masonry unit wall. 3. Storage materials shall be stored at a maximum height of 6-feet. 4. Building Permits and Design Review for compliance with City Codes are required prior to development of the property. Referencing the Site Plan, Commissioner Stevenson asked for clarification on where the new perimeter wall will be located. Mr. Kearns explained the property line is by the sidewalk. Beyond the sidewalk there will be a landscaped area and the wall will sit behind the landscaped area. The storage area to the south will remain, but it is considered to be behind the structure. Mr. Kearns estimated the landscaped area is about 10-feet, which is in addition to the sidewalk. Commissioner Stevenson asked if there is concern there could be line of sight issues for someone turning right onto Lake Havasu Ave from Industrial Blvd. Mr. Kearns responded that the City has standards for sight distance, which is why the site plan shows a cut back on that corner. During Design Review, the cutback and landscaping will be reviewed to ensure compliance. Chair Harris asked if the cutback on the corner represents the sight corridor. Mr. Kearns responded affirmatively, noting the site plan does not show specific dimensions, so that would be reviewed during Design Review. Commissioner Stevenson asked if there are any other commercial properties that have a similar design, with a 6-foot wall in front of the building. Mr. Kearns could not think of a specific example with storage in the front of the building, as that is not typically allowed, but a 6-foot wall for perimeter screening is very common throughout the City. Commissioner Thornton asked if the rear of the property will have a wall or screening. Mr. Kearns stated there is an existing chain link fence there, which will remain. Mr. Lehr explained the proposed General Development Plan shows the existing chain link fence being slatted, which will provide additional screening for the storage area from Highway 95. Storage areas facing Lake Havasu Avenue and Industrial Blvd will be screened with a 6-foot masonry wall. He noted Modern Edge Stone has a similar design Lake Havasu City Page 3 Printed on 9/3/2025 Planning and Zoning Commission Minutes - Final August 6, 2025 concept with an expanded storage yard screened by a 6-foot wall. Chair Harris agreed that is a good example of where this has been allowed and thinks there are a couple others as well. Commissioner Dzuro moved to recommend approval of Land Use Action No. 25-4881 to the City Council for a Planned Development Rezone and General Development Plan of 669 Lake Havasu Avenue N, Tract 115, Block 2, Lots 1-4, from General Commercial District to General Commercial/Planned Development District to allow the outdoor storage use to be located in front of the primary structure and allow the outdoor storage area to exceed the area of the primary structure with Staff's recommendations. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Annett and passed with the following vote: Aye: 6 - Dzuro, Stevenson, Harris, Costa, Thornton and Annett 7. CALL TO PUBLIC Chair Harris opened Call to Public. Seeing no comments, he closed Call to Public. 8. FUTURE MEETING The regular meeting of the Planning & Zoning Commission scheduled for Wednesday, August 20, 2025, has been cancelled. The next regular meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, September 3, 2025. Staff will be presenting an update on the General Plan at the meeting on September 17, 2025. 9. ADJOURNMENT Chair Harris adjourned the meeting at 9:15 a.m. _________________________________________ Jim Harris, Chair _________________________________________ Shelby Hennigan, Recording Secretary Lake Havasu City Page 4 Printed on 9/3/2025