After it was rebuffed by the Town Council in February and rebuked by neighbors since proposing the project, CA Ventures of Chicago has been working on revisions to its proposal for an assisted living facility at Saguaro Boulevard and Trevino Drive.

At its Feb. 20 regular session the council tabled the proposal, saying it was unacceptable as presented.

Many neighbors have complained about the planned height of the three-story structure, as well as potential traffic concerns.

Since the rejection of the project CA Ventures has gone back to the drawing board to make revisions and has set up a series of meetings with neighbors to discuss their concerns. One of those meetings was held Monday, March 26, at the Centerstone Plaza Hotel and Suites in Fountain Hills.

Nicholas J. Wood, an attorney with the firm of Snell & Wilmer, is leading the discussions. Wood told the residents he is a land use attorney representing developers. He listens to the concerns of neighbors and advises clients how to change their projects.

“We are not asking you to trust us,” Wood said. “It’s not that we aren’t trustworthy, but you don’t know us. Everything will be in writing.”

Wood said CA Ventures has committed to taking the third story off the plan and reducing the number of beds from 178 to about 130.

The removal of the third floor will reduce the height of the structure from 40 feet to about 25 feet.

Wood also said the developer will not ask for a zoning change from C-1 to C-2. The C-2 allows for more intense uses that the neighbors would not want, should the property ever revert back. He said they would ask that C-1 be the underlying zoning on the property, which allows for less intense professional office usage.

A PAD overlay on the site is expected, but details of that are not yet determined. A PAD (planned area development) allows the developer concessions that are not strictly permitted by the underlying zoning. These usually include items related to building height, setbacks, parking, etc. These will be known before the plan goes back to the Planning and Zoning Commission and council.

“That piece of land is at an entry to the town,” one man said. “This project is not right there. You can put lipstick on a pig, but it is still a pig at that location.”

While neighbors still have doubts related to the density and building height, traffic seemed to be the focus of objections at the March 26 meeting.

“Trucks deliver products daily to this type of facility,” a man said. “Do I want to listen to semi air brakes going on and off? Does this project belong next to a house?

“This is why no one wants it here.”

There were also concerns about traffic congestion on Trevino Drive near the intersection with Saguaro. Currently the developer plans to widen the street by 10 feet between Saguaro and Burkemo Drive.

Residents noted that drive through traffic to the fast food restaurants nearby, as well as employees parking on Trevino, create enough congestion, and they don’t believe widening the street will help much.

Wood said engineers for the project would focus on those traffic concerns for discussion at the next meeting, which was scheduled for April 2.

In the meantime Wood asked for feedback on new elevation drawings for the facility. There were four architectural styles, all aimed at making the building look more residential and less institutional.

Town staff is not currently involved in discussions regarding the changes and will not review the new plans until they are resubmitted.

Wood said they are not in a hurry to submit the new proposal and want to address all of the residents’ concerns before taking the plans back to the town.

The council plans to meet only once in May, with no meetings scheduled at all for July and August.