Change is also coming to Havasu's north side, with the city council approving the sale of Kiowa Pond and development plans near the airport.
The Kiowa Ponds area is located near the intersection of Kiowa Avenue and State Route 95 and is surrounded by residences to the south and west, RV dealerships to the north, and businesses to the east across the highway.
The sales process began late last year.
Planning Department Manager Chris Gilbert said an application to purchase the city-owned property was submitted in November.
An online auction then began in December and ended in January. He received three bids, but only one met the minimum qualifying bid.
The bid was made by JC Capital LLC at a valuation of approximately $1.8 million. Gilbert said the assessed value is based on the property's use, property condition and zoning.
Mychal Gordon of Desertland Group represented the buyer at the council meeting and said the bidder was an affiliate of Anderson Powersports Group.
“We have been working with the Anderson Group here for a long time to find a new location, ever since they took over the powersports facility on the south side of town,” Gordon said.
He added that they have outgrown that location and are looking for a new location to build a permanent home for the powersports dealership.
Although the sale was approved, the land has not been developed or rezoned.
Bidders must go through the process of hosting a neighborhood meeting and get approval from the Planning and Zoning Commission and City Council.
During the meeting, the City Council also approved a development plan for 10.26 acres north of town.
Located on State Route 95, the parcel is surrounded by federal and state land to the west, city-owned land to the east, and development along Showplace Avenue to the south.
The plan includes a gas station, hotel, park area and five drive-through restaurants, but Gilbert said these could also become sit-down restaurants, depending on who is interested in the space. Stated.
For its part, the applicant sought code relief to allow the hotel to be 42 feet tall, or three stories, instead of 25 feet.
Gilbert said that because the project is close to the runway, he checked with the airport and found that planes should be able to take off over the hotel without issue.
“The FAA's navigation angle out of the airport is more than twice the building height they are requesting,” he said.
Rob Sampson of Selberg Associates said he was excited about the project.
“We were trying to figure out what the city wanted here,” Sampson said. “So what we did was look at underserved uses in the area and had some conversations with potential vendors who were interested in coming to town. .”
He added that a key element of the plan is land in the far north that will be the site of a public park or green space.
Mayor Cal Sheehy said he believes the project is a good use of land because it will be a gateway to the city for people coming from up north.
After the project is approved unanimously, the next steps will include several studies, including a traffic impact analysis.
