Show Low unanimously rezones 1101 West Old Linden Road for 65 affordable homes despite traffic safety concerns
SHOW LOW, ARIZONA — July 20, 2022

Show Low unanimously rezones 1101 West Old Linden Road for 65 affordable homes despite traffic safety concerns

City Council approved a contentious residential rezoning for affordable housing density increase despite substantial resident traffic and safety concerns, while also approving major infrastructure investments and updating the water master plan for the first time in 28 years.

Show Low Council Approves R1-7X Rezoning for Workforce Housing Despite Decades of Traffic and Safety Incidents at Old Linden Road Intersection

Show Low City Council voted unanimously on July 20, 2022, to approve Ordinance 2022-02, rezoning 1101 West Old Linden Road from R1-15 to R1-7X zoning, clearing the way for up to 65 site-built workforce/affordable homes on the property. The decision came after substantive public opposition highlighting historical traffic hazards, stop-sign instability, and infrastructure strain—but centered the council's focus on the future plat and traffic-impact-study process rather than conditioning approval on pre-rezoning traffic remediation.

The vote was unanimous, but the amendment of condition four moments before passage underscored lingering tension over whether the city could preserve discretion to deny an Old Linden Road connection based on traffic findings, or whether a fence requirement pre-emptively foreclosed that opportunity.

Key Speeches

"The concerns voiced included density traffic impacts on existing streets and neighborhoods and connection to old london road following the public hearing the commission voted to recommend approval of the zone change request to the city council subject to staff recommendations." — Justin Tregaskis, Planning & Zoning Director

"This isn't gonna happen. Um, if the intention is to kill development and to not follow the intention of the general plan of incentivizing um density that it would allow um affordable housing then my guess is that this won't be developed. Um, I'd stick it on the market and sell it somebody else and they're gonna sit on it for another 10 years until somebody else tries to get done. That's what's gonna happen." — David Merrill, DW Development LLC

"The stop sign has been changed six times from a yield sign to a stop sign to yield sign to a stop sign because of traffic uh altercations off of the that intersection and that's just a straight road and one that comes right up next to it also right in front of bill's house which is right next to my mother's there was a gas meter if you drive by there now you're gonna see two concrete pillars in front of where that gas meter was and that's because we all had to evacuate multiple times because people coming around that corner on ninth drive hit that gas meter in the middle of the night um in the middle of the day." — Randy Hill, resident, addressing historical safety incidents

"No direct access shall be permitted to old linden road unless approved through the plat process in accordance with the traffic impact statement and accepted traffic design standards and policy." — Justin Tregaskis, Planning & Zoning Director, reading the amended condition four into the record

Timeline

Opposition

Number of speakers against: 4 speakers representing resident concerns.

Main concerns:

  1. Historical traffic hazards at the 10th Drive–Old Linden Road intersection: The stop sign at this location has been changed six times over decades due to collisions and traffic incidents, cycling from yield to stop to yield again.
  2. Gas meter damage and forced evacuations: A gas meter in front of a neighboring property was struck by vehicles multiple times, requiring emergency evacuations of nearby homes.
  3. Electrical pole strikes: An electrical pole on a resident's property was struck by vehicles multiple times before wires were removed and the pole fenced; residents alleged this reflected poor intersection sight distance and control.
  4. Lack of sidewalk infrastructure and pedestrian safety: Residents expressed concern that children walk neighborhood loops (down Cooley to 10th, back up, and into Fox Canyon) and that increased traffic on 10th Drive presents a hazard. The street is narrow and lacks adequate infrastructure.
  5. Drainage and drainage conflicts: Bill Irvin noted existing drainage issues crossing 10th Drive with a culvert on his property; increased runoff from 65 new homes on sloped land may exacerbate the problem.
  6. Fairness of traffic impact study cost: David Merrill argued that pinning the full cost of a traffic-study on the smallest parcel yet to be developed, when approximately 100 acres of undeveloped land surround it, is unjust; the study should be city-wide and cost-shared.
  7. Density concerns: Steve Rich raised the concern that doubling lot density (15,000 sq. ft. to 7,000 sq. ft. lots) would strain school enrollment and services.

Most compelling arguments:

Organized groups: No organized opposition group was identified; speakers appeared to be individual residents.

Support

No organized support was presented, though the Planning Commission's 4–0 vote and the City Council's unanimous approval reflect institutional support. Mayor Leech noted his appreciation for David Merrill's status as a local developer who will "see you at the grocery store" if community concerns are not addressed.

Project Details

Vote Breakdown

Outcome & Next Steps

Ordinance 2022-02 was approved with nine conditions:

  1. All development shall comply with all applicable federal, state, and local requirements.
  2. Any development shall be submitted to the city for review and approval prior to commencement of development on the subject property.
  3. All development shall comply with the R1-7X zoning district standards.
  4. No direct access shall be permitted to west old linden road unless approved through the plat process in accordance with the traffic impact statement and accepted traffic design standards and policy (amended before final vote).
  5. Sidewalks and curbs shall be installed along any roads abutting the property, including the south side of West Old Linden Road (as determined by the city engineer), the east side of the subject property adjacent to North 10th Drive, and the north side of West Coulee.
  6. A consistent six-foot solid material fence shall be installed on the northern property line along West Old Linden Road.
  7. West Coulee shall be extended to the western edge of the subject property.
  8. A traffic impact statement meeting ADOT standards, addressing impacts of the proposed development on West Coulee, North 10th Drive, North 9th Drive, and West Old Linden Road, shall be prepared prior to submittal of a preliminary plat on the subject property.
  9. Prior to consideration of preliminary or final plats on the subject property, the city shall notify all property owners within 300 feet of the subject property of the date and time of the Planning & Zoning Commission and City Council meetings during which the plat will be considered.

The next step is for the applicant to prepare a preliminary plat that incorporates these conditions. The plat will be reviewed by city staff for compliance with conditions and city code, then submitted to the Planning & Zoning Commission and City Council for approval. The traffic impact statement (condition eight) must be completed before the plat is presented to the Commission and Council. Once the preliminary plat is approved, the applicant will prepare an improvement plan addressing infrastructure details (roadway design, curb, sidewalk, water, sewer lines, drainage). Upon staff approval of the improvement plan, a final plat is submitted to the City Council. Once approved, the plat can be recorded with the county, subject to completion of all required improvements or provision of assurance (e.g., a bond) that improvements will be completed.

Controversies & Context

Traffic impact study cost allocation: David Merrill argued that the cost of the traffic impact study should not fall entirely on him, as the study would address broader traffic issues (stop-sign history, intersection spacing, sight distance) that predate this development and affect approximately 100 acres of undeveloped land in the vicinity. He noted that developers typically bear the cost of their own impact studies, but in this case, the study serves a city-wide planning function. He suggested that the city or all property owners in the region should share the cost. The city staff did not explicitly address cost-sharing in the meeting, but noted that prior regional traffic studies were completed in 2007 and updated in 2019, implying that comprehensive area planning is already in place.

Fence requirement vs. Old Linden Road access discretion: Jon Adams raised the question of whether condition six (the mandatory six-foot fence on Old Linden Road) would foreclose the opportunity to approve an Old Linden Road access after the traffic impact study findings. Justin Tregaskis clarified that a fence could coexist with an intersection (citing the Wolford subdivision as an example, which has a fence and an intersection onto Wolford). However, the amendment to condition four—requiring that any Old Linden Road access be "approved through the plat process in accordance with the traffic impact statement and accepted traffic design standards and policy"—appears to be a deliberate effort to preserve council and commission discretion at the plat stage.

R1-10 vs. R1-7X zoning: Derik Whipple asked whether R1-10 zoning (10,000 sq. ft. minimum lots) might be more appropriate, given that adjacent Navajo Pines Estate (R1-7) has lots of 9,000–10,000 sq. ft. David Merrill responded that R1-10 would constrain the project to the low-50s range of homes, making affordable housing financially infeasible. Staff did not formally analyze an R1-10 alternative.

Speed limit and intersection spacing on Old Linden Road: The section of Old Linden Road from 10th Drive to 32nd Drive is posted at 35 mph, compared to 25 mph in denser sections (10th to Central, 32nd to Clark Road). City staff justified the 35 mph limit based on existing intersection spacing and sight-distance requirements for a 35 mph design. The city engineer (referred to as "Mr. Cup") noted that existing intersection spacings far exceed the minimum (300+ feet for this property vs. existing spacings of 300–400+ feet), and that obtaining 250 feet of sight distance (the standard for stopping sight distance at 35 mph) from a proposed driveway may be challenging. He indicated that approving an Old Linden Road access might require reducing the speed limit in that section.

Affordable housing as city policy: David Merrill grounded his request in the city's General Plan, which repeatedly emphasizes incentivizing the building of workforce housing. He noted that builders currently construct high-end homes (4-bedroom, 2,000 sq. ft., high finishes, selling to out-of-area buyers at $500,000+) and that absent R1-7X zoning, no developer will build homes under $500,000 in Show Low this year. The city's own comprehensive planning documents appear to support density increases as a tool to enable affordability.

Duration

Other Notable Items

2022 Citywide Road Improvements and Sidewalk Connectivity Project: City Council unanimously awarded the construction contract to Western Grade LLC for $1,101,258.22. The $1.1 million project includes approximately 1,700 linear feet of new sidewalk, curb and gutter, and 3-inch asphalt overlay on West Coulee (4th to 8th Avenues, and 5th Place to South Mills), 4th, 5th, 6th, and 8th Avenues (between West Coulee and West McNeil), 24th and 25th Drives (north of Old Linden Road S-curve), and 28th Street (north of East Hunt Drive). Engineering staff member Jane presented the bid tabulation, recommending Western Grade over Surface Contracting ($1,432,440). Council member Leech Jr. praised the sidewalk connectivity, noting that "all these places that uh we haven't had sidewalks in for a lot of for ever since day one" will now have safety improvements. The sidewalk work must be completed before roadway improvements begin. Final vote: Unanimous approval.

Water Master Plan Contract Award: City Council unanimously approved awarding a contract to Pacific Advanced Civil Engineering Inc. for $189,445 to prepare the city's first comprehensive water system master plan since 1994—a 28-year gap. The scope includes hydraulic modeling, system evaluation, assessment of future needs, capital project planning, and budget estimates. Pace was selected based on its prior work on the city's wastewater treatment plant design and the recently completed water system SCADA project. During discussion, a councilmember noted that the prior master plan was outdated and asked whether the update interval should be shortened from 28 years to 10–15 years; city staff agreed. Final vote: Unanimous approval.

Rodeo Chatter Sky Fire 20th Anniversary Commemoration: Michelle Ralston, northern Arizona outreach representative for U.S. Senator Mark Kelly, presented Senate Resolution 667, commemorating the 20-year anniversary of Arizona's second-largest wildfire (2002). Ralston discussed forest restoration funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act ($500 million in competitive grants for community wildfire defense), the role of community wildfire protection plans, and the imminent signing of the Rim Country Project record of decision (Phase Two of Four of a collaborative landscape restoration initiative). The resolution was received and noted by the Council.

Liquor License Approvals: City Council unanimously approved two special event liquor licenses: (1) for "Battle of the Bands" and food vendors at Frontier Field on September 3, 2022 (sponsored by Show Low Main Street, to be served by Denise Weisman Stoke), and (2) for the Living Hope Dream Center fundraiser ("Christmas in August") on August 6, 2022, at Hampton Inn and Suites (sponsored by White Mountain Bass Submarine Veterans, presented by James Gerard). Both events included security provisions to prevent underage consumption and removal of alcohol from the event premises.

Streetlight District Tax Levy (Resolution 2022-15): City Council unanimously adopted a secondary property tax levy of $210,000 for the streetlight improvement district for fiscal year 2023, at a rate of $14.01 per $100 of assessed valuation (unchanged from prior year). A home with an assessed value of $150,000 will pay approximately $17.86 annually.