After losing a vote before the Mesa Planning and Zoning Board last October, Sweetwater Companies has returned and won a 5-0 vote to rezone its planned 222-unit Homestead at Lehi Crossing development at Gilbert and McDowell roads.
Many area residents opposed the development in its initial offering, saying no apartment development could fit the area character. They also expressed concerns about building height, the potential for increased crime, traffic impacts – including a planned traffic circle – and harm to area’s “equestrian lifestyle” and historic character. Prior to the rejection, the developer made repeated changes to the proposal in an attempt to accommodate resident concerns, including reducing the planned unit count from 320 to 222.
The developer returned with a newly modified proposal – including changes to the traffic circle that have since won support from the Arizona Department of Transportation and the City of Mesa – and was able to win approval in the July 27th meeting.
Some residents again expressed their displeasure at the proposal, with some alleging lack of sufficient notice about its return to the Board.
Project representatives said any development on the nine-acre site would be challenging, given its irregular shape, but that the multifamily plan would minimize impacts on the neighborhood and existing trails since it would directly access McDowell Road and the Loop 202 without bringing traffic through the neighborhood.
The developer has also pledged to enhance the public canal and horse trails and to donate land for a trailhead.
Not all attendees of the July 27th meeting were opposed. A small number expressed support for the project, including saying an upscale apartment community would be an improvement over the current vacant basin, which they described as “an eyesore.”
A City Council hearing date has not yet been set. (Source)
