"Passion high over 44th/Camelback proposals"

Michael Clancy
The Arizona Republic
Oct. 31, 2007 12:02 PM

The Phoenix City Council will tackle three of the most controversial zoning cases in years next week, when proposals for three corners of one intersection come up for a decision.

The intersection of 44th Street and Camelback Road is in the heart of Arcadia, one of Phoenix's most established neighborhoods. Large numbers of residents have been showing up at meeting after meeting to criticize the projects.

"These cases are particularly high profile," said Councilman Greg Stanton, whose district covers the area. "People are passionate. My office has received hundreds and hundreds, maybe thousands of calls, e-mails and letters."

The projects include:

• A major redevelopment on the northwest corner, where the CamelSquare office complex now sits. Developer M3 Companies hopes to build what it calls "a residential resort" that would be home to 100-foot-tall buildings and hundreds of residents in single-family homes, townhomes and condos.
• On the southeast corner, Opus' project consists of a three-story building with retail and condos on vacant land behind the Chase Bank branch.
• On the southwest corner, Grace Communities plans a mixed-use development with buildings as high as four stories.

Criticism of the projects has focused on building heights, number of people they would house, and amount of traffic they would generate.

In addition, preservation of the bank building, with its distinctive design, is a key aspect of opponents' demands.

Proponents of the projects point to rundown buildings and underused land.

The Phoenix Planning Commission approved the projects on the south side of Camelback without changes, but recommended the top heights of the M3 project be lowered to the height of the Londen Center across the street.

The City Council will take up the proposals at 5 p.m. Wednesday.