Permit for Smiles for Special Needs adult day care to be discussed by city board

A request for a permit to allow deviations from certain development standards for an adult day care center west of Gilbert Road on the north side of Brown Road in Mesa is to be discussed Wednesday by the Mesa Board of Adjustment.

The board meets at 4:30 p.m. for a study session and 5:30 p.m. for a meeting June 5 in the lower council chambers, 57 E. First St.

Maricopa County data indicates that the main structure on the site was developed in 1966. In 2002, the city of Mesa’s zoning administrator approved a variance for a driveway encroachment into the front yard and a reduction in the required landscape materials along the street and interior property lines in conjunction with the development of a charter school, according to a written staff report.

“The existing site improvements were constructed in accordance with the zoning codes in effect at the time; however, some of the existing site improvements do not conform with current development standards of ... the Mesa zoning ordinance and the site is considered legal nonconforming,” it states.

Reese L. Anderson of Pew & Lake PLC is the applicant. Smiles for Special Needs LLC is the owner.

The substantial conformance improvement permit is for Smiles for Special Needs. It is a day program for adults with intellectual and physical disabilities, according to a written project narrative.

“It provides a safe place for this important segment of our community to go during the day while their primary caregivers are at work or have other commitments,” it states. “The program helps participants work on life skills with an emphasis on peer interaction. The program also helps our community by providing respite care for family members and primary care providers of the participants, allowing these providers to attend work and other obligations.”

Adults attend the center between the hours of 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday-Friday with no overnight stays, it states.

A rezoning from residential RS-9 to office-commercial is being sought and is to be discussed at the June 12 meeting of the Mesa Planning and Zoning Board and a July meeting of the Mesa City Council, according to the written staff report.

The seven-member board conducts public meetings to hear and decide requests for variances, special-use permits and interpretations of the city of Mesa zoning ordinance and sign code. Members are appointed for staggered terms of three years, according to the city’s website.