Stagecoach
Village mezzanine OK
by
Kathleen Stinson
CAVE
CREEK – Cave Creek resident Herb Natker filed a complaint
recently with Cave Creek over a mezzanine in a building
under construction at Stagecoach Village.
Natker
said he was concerned that the mezzanine violated what he
thought was a second‑story prohibition in the town’s
zoning ordinance. When he voiced his concern to the council
early in
November, he was told the mezzanine was a partial floor
and not a second story.
Natker
cited a definition taken from the appraisal profession that
states a mezzanine is a partial floor between two floors.
“So,
since their (Stagecoach Village) mezzanine is not between
two stories, the mezzanine is a second story, which is illegal,”
Natker said at the time.
What
the town neglected to tell Natker is the 1991 zoning ordinance
prohibiting second story commercial buildings became void
when the town approved a 1994 zoning ordinance. Section
7 of that ordinance “core commercial zones” allows two‑story
buildings with a maximum of 25 feet building height.
“I
don’t know why they did not disclose this (to me) earlier,”
Natker said, adding he was not told about the new ordinance
until last Tuesday.
Stagecoach
Village is a mixed‑use project under construction
on the north side of Cave Creek Road across from Le San
Souci Restaurant.
Cave
Creek’s Planning Director Ian Cordwell said the town is
only allowing a mezzanine, not a second
story, in the one Stagecoach Village building under debate
in order to comply with the project’s parking requirements
under the site plan.
Also,
Cordwell said according to the 2003 International Building
Code adopted by the town, Section 505 “mezzanines” states
“a mezzanine or mezzanines in compliance with this section
shall be considered a portion of the floor below.”
Cordwell
noted all of the project’s 12 buildings are one story, with
the exception of the one that includes a mezzanine. However,
some buildings appear two‑story, like Old West hotels,
he said.
Natker
said he and other residents concerned over the issue are
now satisfied and he will withdraw his complaint.
“Height
is always an issue, especially in the desert with views
and open space,” said Diane Brossart, president of Valley
Forward, a community group advocating balance between economic
development and environmental quality.
“We
hope that planners are looking at developments not individually,
but collectively, to achieve a certain result, rather than
on a piecemeal basis from one project to the next,” Brossart
said. “We really need to plan our growth patterns and give
strategic thought as to what we want to achieve in the long
run.”
Cordwell
said the town set the story and height requirements to preserve
Cave Creek views.
Carefree
Planning Director Gary Neiss said the idea behind a height
restriction is to avoid disrupting the viewsheds (vistas)
or lifestyles of residential neighborhoods. Carefree is
mainly residential and only 1 percent commercial and garden
offices.
According
to Cordwell, Cave Creek’s residential zones abut its commercial
in the majority of cases. However, in the case of Stagecoach
Village, a wash runs between the residential and commercial
areas and the project’s floor height is lower than the subdivision
to the north.
