The town’s Planning and Zoning Commission took the first step March 9 that would allow the owner of the CopperWynd Resort to redevelop the property with 10 times the current room capacity.

The commission voted unanimously, 7-0, to recommend the Town Council approve the needed zoning adjustments to accommodate the major expansion.

The zoning changes would create a Planned Area Development (PAD) over an underlying zoning of L-3 (lodging). If approved by the council the new zoning would replace an R-5 Planned Unit Development (PUD). The current resort is included within a mixed use with residential villas. The new zoning is designed to create more flexibility in design and use than the current PUD, according to town Development Services Director Bob Rodgers.

The council is to consider the zoning request when it meets Thursday this week, along with a separate development agreement for the resort. The proposed changes would all take place on the 16.5-acre footprint of the existing resort. The clubhouse and restaurant area would remain intact and remain open during redevelopment.

The proposed plan calls for 300 guest rooms, 10 times the existing 32, with construction to take place in three phases over a maximum 10-year timeline.

Phase I replaces the existing hotel rooms with a guest wing that includes 128 rooms. It would also add a 10,000 square-foot banquet and conference facility. That is to be built at the opposite end of the property from the new guest rooms, just off CopperWynd Drive.

Phase II of the project will be the construction of a new building at the south end of the clubhouse, which is to include 60 new guest rooms in a five-story structure. There will also be pool area renovations with a poolside lounge/restaurant and parking expansion.

Phase III will include the construction of the final 122 rooms to bring the total to 300. The final phase also includes additional outdoor activity spaces with additional pool areas and another restaurant. This phase will also include the construction of the parking garage with roof-top tennis courts.

The proposed PAD will allow up to 19 rooms per acre, four more than the L-3 zoning allows. It includes ancillary uses such as restaurants cafes without the requirement of a special use permit. It will allow a 50-foot building height. The current R-5 PUD allows 40-feet and the L-3 permits a 30-foot building height. The PAD reduces the building separation requirement from 10 feet to seven feet, and allows all building setbacks to be 20 feet, as opposed to current L-3 zoning requirements of 40 feet front and side and 60 feet rear.

The PAD allows for outdoor entertainment with music or speakers, but requires compliance with the town noise ordinance. It allows for internal wayfinding signs on the resort campus. The PAD provides for a shared parking model in calculating parking requirements including an allowance for off-site parking up to 1,500 feet away for special events or activities.

It maintains 15 percent open space on the property.

Members of the public attending the P&Z meeting were also unanimous in their support for the project. Staff received about two dozen comment cards from the audience, all voicing support. Of those, eight asked to speak directly to the commission. The voices in support generally had praise for CopperWynd owner Bill Hinz and the effort and money he has put into renovating the club since taking over in 2015.

Jordan Rose of Rose Law Group represented the project before the commission and noted that Hinz has already invested $6 million in property improvements since taking over. She also projects that when all three phases of the project are complete it will generate $1.65 million in total sales tax receipts, a ten-fold increase over the numbers for 2016.

Former Town Mayor Jay Schlum spoke on behalf of the Chamber of Commerce in support of the proposal, calling it a world-class project for the community.

Don Misheff, owner of SunRidge Canyon Golf Club, stated the resort will give a boost to every business in town and allow Fountain Hills to compete in the Scottsdale/Phoenix resort market.

The project is being planned by architectural firm of Allen + Philp with principal Mark Philp, a Fountain Hills resident. There are ongoing negotiations with the Kimpton Hotel and Restaurant Group to affiliate with the resort.

The Town Council will consider the Planning and Zoning recommendation as well as the development agreement for the project when it meets Thursday, March 16, at 6:30 p.m. in council chambers at Town Hall.

The meeting is open to the public, with a public hearing scheduled for the proposed zoning changes.