Covered parking and storage facility coming northwest of City Hall

A developer has submitted preliminary paperwork to the city to build a 5-acre covered RV parking and storage facility just west of North White and Parker Road and north of West Santi Road near City Hall.

The proposed site, at 18888 N. Jericho Road, is 330-by-670 feet and would include about 300 covered parking spaces.

A wash and dump station in the back, an office with personnel to help guests check in and out, and lighting at the front and back as well as under the canopies are planned. Electrical hookups would be available under the canopies.

A six-foot block wall would surround the facility with 20-foot entrance and exit gates at the front and improved roads leading to and from them. The front and rear roads would be 30 feet wide to accommodate office parking and enhance traffic flow around the wash/dump station.

The entry and exits would feature keypads, and the site would be protected by 24/7 video surveillance.

The RV storage site is the second development proposed north of City Hall. The city recently approved a zoning change to high-density residential to allow for development of more than 21 acres of city-owned land immediately north of City Hall as a multi-family housing community.

That fits with the city’s plan to create an urban village in the city center. The multi-family project is at the southeastern corner of North White and Parker Road and Lococo Street, across from the Desert Passage community.

City planner Derek Scheerer said when the zoning change was approved by the Planning & Zoning Commission that it would allow the city to move forward with the village concept approved by voters and address a need for more multi-family housing.

“This rezoning will help us meet the housing needs assessment and plan for creating a diversity of housing stock for the workforce housing that is needed for the community,” he said.

The city will not develop the land but will prepare it to provide an attractive product for a developer.

“The city is rezoning the property to sell to a developer or developers in the future,” Scheerer said. “We’re laying the groundwork and planting the seed so they will develop it. We’re proposing to rezone it for entities to come in and take advantage of opportunities the city is creating.”

Scheerer said the zoning change was necessary to create a higher-density, urbanized development around City Hall. The RV parking and storage would add one more diverse element to the development mix.