The Town Council has approved a special use permit to allow residential housing use for property within the downtown commercial district.

The unanimous vote came at the regular council session on Aug. 17.

The development plan calls for the renovation of four units to accommodate residential living. The site is located on the north side of Avenue of the Fountains approximately halfway between Saguaro Blvd. and Verde River Drive. Sofrita’s Restaurant occupies the space that fronts the Avenue.

Each of the four units would be remodeled to include kitchen, living room and two bedrooms. The units are about 1,000 square feet, with two located on the first floor and two on the second floor. The second-floor units are permitted to be residential by right in the downtown area specific plan. The two ground-level units require the SUP.

The units would be brought into compliance with the 2018 International Building Code, which may require modifications to the exterior of the building, according to architect Stan Connick. Those changes would be determined when the applicant files for a building permit.

All four of the units are vacant and reportedly have been for some time.

Senior Planner Farhad Tavassoli writes in his report to the commission that the General Plan and Downtown Area Specific Plan generally encourage mixed use with commercial on the ground floor and residential above.

“In staff’s opinion, the ground floor units behind Sofrita’s Restaurant are historically underutilized and offer poor visibility for commercial activity,” Tavassoli said. “Thus, a residential conversion could better ensure their long-term use while contributing to the overall vision of a vibrant town center.”

“The question is whether allowing four residential apartments on the property would be detrimental to the health, safety and welfare of Plat 208 and the downtown area,” Tavassoli writes in his report. “Staff believes adding residential uses would add a complement to the range of retail, office and service-oriented uses in the area.”