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Paradise Valley inks DA with Lincoln Medical Plaza

Posted 3/1/20

The Town of Paradise Valley has struck a development agreement with Lincoln Medical Center, which is, ultimately, among other things, a mutually-agreed upon plan that consolidates driveway access at …

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A finished product

Paradise Valley inks DA with Lincoln Medical Plaza

Posted

The Town of Paradise Valley has struck a development agreement with Lincoln Medical Center, which is, ultimately, among other things, a mutually-agreed upon plan that consolidates driveway access at the municipal edge.

The agreement comes on the heels of the municipality seeking condemnation of 33 feet of right-of-way on Lincoln Drive owned by the medical center, stemming from construction across the street, which the town is linked to.

Paradise Valley Town Council discussed the development agreement behind closed doors at least twice before agreeing to the arrangement. On Feb. 27, the Town Council unanimously approved the agreement as it was laid out in their study session following 11th-hour contract modifications.

The agreement with Lincoln Medical Center, 7125 E. Lincoln Drive, is a repercussion of two separate, ongoing town projects: a roadway median overhaul and prior agreements with Five Star Development regarding construction of a hotel and residential use a stone’s throw away from the medical center.

“From the town obligations, the town has also --- going back to 2008, and again in January 2016 --- have been working with Five Star across the street to development 105 acres. That was an SUP, and it had a development agreement,” Town Manager Jill Keimach said of the mammoth project on the north side of Lincoln Drive.

As part of the development agreement, the town agreed to construction of the “perimeter roads” of Lincoln Drive, Mockingbird Lane and Indian Bend Road.

“So new construction, infrastructure on all of that. We have been working with utilities --- we’ve done a lot of work down Lincoln Drive, and why the public has endured a long construction period of this,” Ms. Keimach explained.

“Part of that construction means we needed to look at the ownership, and we looked at it on Lincoln Medical, primarily. They have two existing driveways, both east and west on their property. And they also own, technically, 33 feet of right of way on Lincoln Drive. So, the town started a condemnation process to convert that to public right of way.”

Furthermore, Paradise Valley is in the process of redoing the medians down Lincoln Drive townwide.

“The Town Council approved most recently a solid median from,” Ms. Keimach said.

“What that does is it requires only a right-in and right-out on those properties. Lincoln Medical has been working to upgrade the property and they have asked that they have a left-in, left-out from their property.”

Existing driveways include one at SmokeTree Resort; two at Lincoln Medical Center; one at AJ’s Fine Foods; and one at the Lincoln Apartments. 

“Right now there are five driveways coming into a very congested area --- especially if you’re going into AJ’s, it has created some --- you have to be alert going into and coming out of AJ’s,” Ms. Keimach said.

“The goal of this from a public point of view is how to make that safer for drivers primarily and reduce the conflicts.”

The agreed upon plans in the development agreement reduces three driveways for one left-in, left-out driveway on the Lincoln Medical Center and the SmokeTree Resort lot line. The AJ’s driveway and Lincoln Apartments driveways will remain. Additionally, the new medians will provide for a longer turning radius for the properties, Ms. Keimach said.

In addition, the terms of the agreement with Lincoln Medical Center include:

  • Lincoln Medical will dedicate 40 feet of Lincoln Drive to the town; grant the town a sidewalk and utility easement for an enhanced sidewalk plan; execute and record a shared-access agreement with SmokeTree to construct and pay for a shared driveway serving both properties; and construct at its own cost sidewalks, landscaping, shared driveway and closure of driveways.
  • The town will dismiss its quiet title/condemnation action related to the 40-foot dedicated roadway; provide for existing monument signs to remain within the sidewalk easement area; and provide a median for left-in, left-out access from a shared driveway.

During the vote, Mayor Jerry Bien-Willner said the development agreement has been “somewhat fast moving,” which is why the agreement had some last-minute changes, he contends.

According to Deputy Town Attorney Deborah Robberson, revisions to the resolution have been made since the last time the Town Council saw the agreement.

Changes included describing roadway improvements to include Lincoln Drive and sidewalks; removing any references to other items such as landscaping and utility easements; adding exhibits to show the area of the dedicated property; and adding a whereas clause to describe the contents of the development agreement to provide for the shared-access agreement.

“I think this keeps with the direction of council as far as the overall direction of what the council was seeking for both the cooperative acquisition of the roadways, as well as the entry points and other matters. I think it hits, in broad strokes, the key details,” Mr. Bien-Willner said at the dais.

“It’s always nice when we have an agreed-upon, cooperative deal reached. We appreciate the cooperation of the ownership of the Lincoln Medical Plaza who’s also worked hard to reach an agreement on this.”

Councilman Paul Dembow thanked the medical center’s ownership for investing in the town, and “turning something that wasn’t necessarily not that pretty into something much prettier.”

The medical center dates back to 1976 when it first received a special use permit from the town. In 2018, Jamel Greenway purchased the property and applied for a major special use permit amendment seeking a complete renovation of the site as a medical office under a single tenant.

In 2019, the major SUP amendment was withdrawn and a minor special use permit application approved by Planning Commission made changes in parking, circulation and the installation of a large oxygen storage tanks on the property.