For the past three years, Bart Shea, president of N-Shea Group, has been negotiating with the town to build a residential and retail complex, Park Place, on the vacant south side of the Avenue of the Fountains.

Whether the project becomes a reality may come down to the Town Council’s vote tomorrow, Thursday, June 16.

The council is scheduled to decide on an amendment to increase the maximum residential density from 28 to 50 dwelling units per acre.

The project calls for 43,000-square feet of commercial space and 404 residential dwelling units (one, two and three-bedroom apartments) above the retail space.

If the council does not approve the change, “I’m done. I’m finished,” Shea said last week in an interview. “I can’t keep money on the sidelines this long.”

He said he does not want his remarks to be misconstrued as a threat. He said he is the closest of any previously failed developers to bring a downtown development project to fruition.

“If I leave, no one is coming here for the next 20 years,” said Shea, a town resident for 22 years.

Shea has repeatedly said he has secured private funding for the construction.

“We could have been in the ground a year ago with this project,” he added.

He talked about the misinformation circulating on social media and public comments about the architectural design of the buildings, parking issues and town staff questioning the validity of third-party studies.

Shea said he has worked diligently to address council members’ concerns. He has submitted 25 revisions of the development agreement.

“It’s not that I’m adding anything. This is reactionary literally to staff and the town attorney,” said Shea. “The most obstinate, arbitrary process has been by staff, none of whom live in the town. They don’t even have a dog in the fight.”

One falsehood that he is trying to dispel is that the structures were initially planned to be two-stories high.

“That is a complete misconception,” he said, referring to the downtown area plan commonly referred to as the Swaback Plan. The town adopted the blueprint for future town growth and development in 2009.

“The people who wrote the vision plan say this is the product that they had envisioned for this portion of town. These buildings are what they thought should go there…ought to go there,” said Shea. “Since 2010, the town staff has put burdens on top of the vision plan.”

In January, he proposed a meeting with the town council and public to “hammer out” a development agreement. His request was denied.

“The staff and counsel decided that was not the obvious way to do it,” said Shea.

Market for apartments

Shea believes an untapped market for apartments exists. The town has about 270 apartments. The average percentage of multi-family units compared to single homes is usually 17 to 18 percent. In Fountain Hills, the rate is under 6 percent.

The first phase would create 230 housing units from Town Hall to just past Sofrita’s on the avenue.

“We need the heads in the beds to sustain the commercial space,” commented Shea. “If I’m buying a home in Fountain Hills and can’t find one in the first year, I’m going to Scottsdale or Mesa to get my kids in school because there is nowhere for me to live. Period.

“If I have an apartment to live in, I have a year to go find a house while the kids are going to school and doing the things they need to do. I’m not talking about transient housing. I’m talking about transitional housing while you shop for your long-time home here.”

Apartments also would appeal to individuals and couples who want to live here and not buy a house.

Architectural design

In response to critics who viewed sketches posted on Facebook of the buildings, Shea said the architect’s rendering were early concepts. The final design has not been completed.

“The next rendition will be more stone and a little closer in appearance to MorningStar (assisted living and memory care facility),” and more Southwest-inspired, said Shea. He is the developer of MorningStar.

“Design and color goes back to form, function and marketing. I’ve heard a lot of what it should be,” he said.

The topography of the avenue dictates the project’s design with the highest elevation at 54 feet, the same height as the All-American Grill restaurant at the corner of the Avenue and Saguaro Boulevard.

Because of the topography, the four-story buildings will not obstruct the sight line of the Fountain and mountains.

A concrete podium-like structure will be built on the north side of the building to handle residential parking, he said.

While negotiating the mixed-use project, construction of MorningStar nears completion, which is expected in August. His firm is building two similar assisted living facilities in Avondale and Glendale.

With all the obstacles and design cost overruns, what keeps Shea involved in the project?

“I made a commitment. It started off as a challenge. I know in my heart of hearts that if this isn’t built, the town is going to remain the same for the next 40 years.”