"Should not be construed as an ordinance." That line sits near the top of the Town of Paradise Valley's Special Use Permit Guidelines. It means the setbacks and heights that follow are guidance for reviewing a site. Meeting them does not oblige the town to approve anything. The clearest current example of that sentence at work is a parking lot on Lincoln Drive.
The Franciscan Renewal Center, known locally as the Casa, wants to put solar panels on new shade structures over part of its parking lot at 5802 E. Lincoln Drive. Since spring the project has gotten smaller. Some of the cuts came from the written guidelines. Others came out of a public hearing room, measured in individual panels and a height cap on trees. The Town Council takes up the request on October 22.
Four Arrays in May, Three in October
The request is formally a Major Special Use Permit amendment, SUP-26-02. Mike Slivers submitted it on behalf of the Franciscan Renewal Center, covering its roughly 4.7-acre parcel. It moved through these steps:
- May 14, 2026. The Town Council approved an initial Statement of Direction for four shade structures totaling about 19,200 square feet.
- June 16. The Planning Commission continued the case to September 15 and asked for line-of-sight visuals and a site visit.
- July 15. Commissioners visited the site. On September 11, two commissioners met with a resident.
- September 15. The Planning Commission voted 7–0 to recommend approval, with added conditions.
- September 24. The Council discussed the item in a study session. The agenda said no vote or final action would be taken.
- October 22. The Council holds a public hearing with possible action at 6 p.m. at Town Hall, 6401 E. Lincoln Drive.
The project now covers about 12,130 square feet. That's roughly 37 percent smaller than the May footprint. All three remaining arrays sit in the west and northwest part of the parking lot, with footprints of about 3,746, 4,370 and 4,014 square feet. The structures are capped at 15 feet tall with 10 feet of clearance underneath. The May Statement of Direction let the application go forward. The permit amendment itself has not received final approval, and nothing has been built.
The Rule Cut One Array. The Hearing Cut the Rest.
The written guideline only accounts for the first reduction. Array Four was dropped because it did not meet the 60-foot SUP setback guideline. For religious facilities, private schools, nonprofits and quasi-public properties, the guidelines call for a 60-foot setback from residentially zoned property and 40 feet from a public street. They also allow structures up to 24 feet tall. Town staff classified the shade structures as accessory structures and applied those same numbers.
On paper, then, the three remaining arrays fit with room to spare. Staff put the reduced Array Two and Array Three about 128 feet from the north property line, more than twice the guideline setback. Their 15-foot height is well under the 24-foot ceiling. The September 15 hearing still produced more cuts.
The resident asked the commission to recommend denial, along with an attorney representing them. The resident and attorney cited the height of the structures blocking the resident's view, poor maintenance of existing vegetation, and the possibility of lower property value. Commissioners who had attended the site visit reported that existing vegetation does block the view of the proposed structures.
Commissioners then asked whether the panels could move. The applicant explained that every roof strong enough to carry solar already has roof-mounted arrays. The parking-lot location was chosen because it is close to the existing transformer. Moving the panels to the east side of the property would be costly and would damage existing pavers.
That left the panel count. Charles Brown, the Casa's executive director, offered to remove eight panels from the north end of Array Three, which pushes it back an estimated additional 20 feet. The commission made that offer a condition. It added a second condition requiring the four existing trees along the northern property line to be kept at no more than 15 feet, or as Town staff recommends. That brought the draft ordinance to 11 stipulations.
The tree condition shows how this kind of negotiation works. The trees were part of the resident's complaint, and they also do the screening commissioners saw on their visit. The condition keeps them and caps them at the same 15-foot height as the proposed structures. The application also calls for relocating or removing about eight trees, adding about 20 pollinator and milkweed plants, and discussing screening with the three neighboring properties to the west. According to staff, the panels would have a matte, non-reflective black finish, no new lighting is proposed, and no noise, odor or vibration is expected.
Height Has Precedent. Footprint Is the New Part.
Paradise Valley has seen solar shade structures on religious campuses before, and staff pointed to two of them as comparisons.
| Property | Case | Year | Type | Max height | Footprint |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temple Solel | SUP-13-06 | 2013 | Solar shade structure | 14 ft 6 in | Not stated in town comparison |
| Franciscan Renewal Center | SUP-19-02 | 2019 | Roof-mounted array, Community Life Center | Rooftop | Not applicable |
| First Southern Baptist, now Vista Church | SUP-23-03 | 2023 | Solar carport, 204 panels | 14 ft 11 in | 5,812.4 sq ft |
| Franciscan Renewal Center | SUP-26-02 | Pending | Three parking-lot shade structures | 15 ft | About 12,130 sq ft |
On height, the Casa is within an inch of the 2023 carport. On area, its proposal is more than twice the size of First Southern Baptist's single 45-by-129-foot carport, which was described as a 109.14-kW DC system. The Council moved that project forward with a Statement of Direction on September 28, 2023. The Casa's own 2019 rooftop array was handled as a managerial amendment. Its 2026 request is a major amendment because it adds floor area.
The town materials reviewed for this post contain no townwide policy that weighs solar against views. The question gets decided case by case. Under the Zoning Ordinance, SUP review is meant to protect neighborhoods and preserve view corridors, open space and significant natural features. The Council keeps legislative discretion, and meeting development standards does not guarantee approval. The guidelines add an Open Space Criteria limit. No building may break through a plane that starts 20 feet in from exterior lot lines at 16 feet above natural grade and rises one foot for every five feet inward.
Taken together, these rules give a neighbor more than a fixed setback. They give the neighbor a forum. In this case, the forum produced a 20-foot pullback and a height cap on trees that no written number required.
October 22, and the Rest of the Casa's Fall
At the September 24 study session, councilmembers praised the Casa for working with residents and revising its original proposal. The decision itself is set for the 6 p.m. hearing on Thursday, October 22, at Town Hall. Questions about the application go to Planner Brandon McMahon at (480) 348-3531. The draft ordinance attached to the case has a few typos, including a site address and square footage that don't match the staff report. The figures above come from the staff report and the town's presentation.
The hearing falls during a busy season on the campus. The Casa is marking a Jubilee Year of St. Francis, running January 10, 2026, through January 10, 2027, for the 800th anniversary of his death. Its Jubilee page invites visitors to walk 25 acres of desert gardens and sacred spaces. Upcoming dates on its public calendar include:
- October 3–4: The Feast of St. Francis, celebrated at all Masses that weekend.
- October 17 at 7 p.m. and October 18 at 1:30 p.m.: "I Conoscenti di San Francesco" performances.
- November 5 at 11 a.m.: "Discover the Vision," a one-hour introduction to the Casa's mission and ministries. Reservations are requested.
The Casa's strategic plan for FY26 through FY30 also calls for a land-use study. The study would assess whether a columbarium, an intergenerational day care or other uses are viable on the campus. These are study topics, not approved projects. Two Casa features from earlier this year are worth keeping in mind as that study moves forward. One is the Jubilee invitation to walk those 25 acres. The other is this summer's record of the resident, a site visit and eight panels.
If your home shares a property line with a church, a school or a resort campus in Paradise Valley, the town's SUP file on that property shows what has been negotiated there before. Apex Residential reads those records alongside the views and setbacks they protect, and we're glad to walk through the file for a property you own or are considering. Find Your Private Paradise, starting with the Paradise Valley neighborhood guide.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
