By Roland Murphy for AZBEX
The Surprise City Council approved rezoning and annexation requests for a residential project plan on nearly 94 acres of Maricopa County land at the NEC of 163rd and Grand avenues, near Pinnacle Peak Road. The site sits northwest of Sun City West and the Loop 303.
The property is divided into two sections. The larger lot, 69.44 acres, was rezoned from Rural Residential to Residential Low Density for 272 single-family lots. The second, 24.53-acre, lot was rezoned to Residential High Density and will be the site of an approximately 240-unit Build-to-Rent development. The final count will be determined during the site plan review, according to staff reports.
The traditional single-family component is slated for a density of five units/acre, while the BTR section will have up to 12.
The Council vote had been continued from the February 15th meeting. The Surprise Planning and Zoning Commission recommended the proposals on a 7-0 vote at its January 20th meeting.
The land was also the subject of a general plan amendment request. The owners stated the character area designation of Commerce & Office for the undeveloped agricultural site was not appropriate for a “typical shopping area” or office due to its limited access and egress options and the availability of sites nearby better suited to those purposes.
According to the narrative accompanying the rezoning request, landscape and open space will be a key theme for the development to generate a strong sense of community identity and interconnection. “The landscape and open space network shall provide both visual and actual connection to bring the neighborhood residents together and focus amenity activity on open space and amenities. Onsite retention areas will be landscaped to provide areas for active and passive recreation. All passive and active open space areas for the community are located within close proximity to all lots.”
During public meetings with nearby residents, some expressed concerns as to the infrastructure requirements for the project and whether or not their properties would be part of the annexation, including whether or not their properties would subsequently be subject to Surprise’s City code requirements. According to the meeting report, project representatives explained properties adjacent to the proposed site would not be compelled to be part of the annexation and that the rezoning would not affect properties outside the boundary.
Noted infrastructure changes included the improvement of Planada Lane out to 163rd and the improvement of 163rd along the property line. No statements of opposition were recorded as part of the City Council review process.
According to the public meeting report, the owners estimate the total development timeline at approximately two years. Information from the DATABEX Research Team shows the final developer for the project has not been released yet. Property owner Valparaiso LLC intends to sell the land to a developer who will then decide the final scope of work, design firm and associated project details.
