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[Name]
PUP 301
[Date]
Desert View Village Planning Committee
Members of the Desert View Village Planning Committee met on October 6th to discuss
and approve/disprove the building plan of a proposed apartment complex being built in the
Desert View Village. The building company, HILGARTWILSON, LCC., gave a presentation to
convince the committee they should approve the project. As such, the meeting was one long
discussion of the pros and cons of the proposed building plan. While all the members of the
planning committee that attended were truly looking out for the interest of their village, the
meeting quickly turned into an unorganized discussion. Instead of putting a roundtable
discussion system in place, there was no order to allow for commentary and critique. As soon as
the contracting company, HILGARTWILSON, LLC finished their presentation, the committee
burst into critique. Not only does an unorganized discussion seem unprofessional nature, it also
forces the members to breakout into side conversations. Side conversations between members of
the panel makes it very difficult for: members of the public to understand and follow the critique
being discussed and for any decisions to be made as a group.
No one at the meeting respected the sanctity of the motion. One member made a motion
to add a stipulation saying the company could not continue with the building plan unless they
agreed to build only up to two floors (there were buildings in the original plan that were 3 stories
high). Before the motion got around the table, the stipulation had changed to include that the
properties along Cave Creek Road would not exceed a one-story level. However, the motion still
passed 4-3, leaving those in attendance to judge whether or not the story limit on Cave Creek
Road passed with the motion or not. This confusion made it impossible for any decisions to be
made in a timely matter.

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The critiques made during the meeting were misleading and confusing. One member kept
reiterating that the apartment complex did not fit the feel of Desert View Village. Another
member spoke about how she did not like how overbearingly large the complex was, also stating
that it did not fit the feel of the village. Although these concerns are valid, they do not mean
anything to an outside building company. On top of that, the building company was already
bound by specific criteria stated when they created the building plan. Its one thing to reject a
building proposal because of it does not fit the feel of the village without any concrete
examples or suggestions, but if the objective is to work with the company in order to allow the
building plan to pass, it is important to give specific critique. Lack of specific critique only
prolongs the process of approval.
Despite the disorganization, every single member of the committee board spoke their
mind and stuck up for the integrity of their village. When the company refuted their fears with
standard facts, they demanded the company treat their village as its own entity, not one that
would be swayed by statistics. An example of this is when three members of the committee
expressed their concern with the size of this complex, the company member courteously
explained that their proposed 260-270 units was a low in comparison to the average. Multiple
committee members made it clear they were not concerned with the comparison to the average,
they were concerned with its size in comparison to the rest of the complexes in their village.
The members stuck up for the public. The planning committee required HILGARTWILSON,
LLC. to hold a community meeting to get feedback from the local citizens. The committee felt
the residents should have a chance to voice their concerns about the apartment complex
potentially lessening their property values, blocking their views, and congesting their area of
living. The committee was also concerned with the affordability of the apartments. Members

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wanted the price point to be low, or at the very least allow some cheaper units. It was the
residents best interests they were concerned with.
The whole planning committee attended the meeting, along with four representatives
from the building contracting company, HILGARTWILSON, LLC. and two members from the
general public (myself included). There is a speaker card to fill out if you would like to speak,
however, there were no speaker cards filled at this meeting. The speaker card is made to limit the
amount of time for public participation. While there was a schedule with times attached to the
meeting notes, there was no specific time limit for public participation addressed. While the
meeting I attended was not populated with members of the general public, the committee itself
led a meeting deciding what to do about the proposed complex for almost two hours. It took long
enough for the committee to come to a consensus on whether or not they were going to approve
or decline the building plan. Although there were no members of the public to participate, it
would have been hard for anyone to participate as the committee members talked amongst
themselves for the majority of the meeting, making it extremely hard to hear what was being
discussed. Once the committee came to an agreement, they did direct a few questions to the
audience asking if they agreed or had any comments. Public participation was possible but not
taken advantage of.
During the meeting, the committee mostly discussed the issues with approving the plan
as-is. HILGARTWILSON, LLC. gave a PowerPoint presentation outlining the details of the
apartment complexs specifications, location, size, and amenities. The biggest problem the
committee had with the building itself was that it was bland and that it looked like a store-front
instead of an apartment complex. The building company pitched that the apartment complex
would add to the Desert View Village area because it blended in with the current aesthetic. This

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was an issue the committee, along with the building company, discussed for over thirty minutes.
Should the apartment complex be bland and blend-in, using neutral colors and typical building
structures, or should it add a sense of beauty and uniqueness to its area? The presentation showed
the apartment complexs building style next compared to the style of houses that surround the
area. Although both styles were similar, the committee still insisted the building plan be changed
to better fit the area.
The Desert View Village Planning Committee Meeting on October 6th at 6:30PM at
Paradise Valley Community Center was centered on a presentation gave by HILGARTWILSON,
LLC. HILGARTWILSON, LLC. is the company who is planning to build an apartment complex
on the northwest corner of Cave Creek Road and Pinnacle Peak Road. The proposed apartment
complex would be up to three stories high in some areas, would be approximately 13 buildings,
and would take up approximately 17 acres of land. The committee decided to give an approval
with stipulations. These stipulations included that the design of the buildings would be made to
better fit the Desert View Village Committee, the buildings not exceed two stories, and the
company was to inform the surrounding public in a forum that allowed the citizens to express
their concerns before breaking ground. At the end of the meeting, their decision was between
voting yes with stipulations, or voting no and adding that there would be future approval if they
met certain requirements. Ending with the decision of yes, the committee met again on October
21st to discuss the improved building plan. The building company stated that between approval
and planning, it would about another 9 months before the complex broke ground. Between now
and then, there are multiple other stakeholders that need to approve the building plan aside from
the Desert View Village Planning Committee. There are further decisions that will affect this

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building proposals future. For now, the committee has given HILGARTWILSON, LLC.
approval.