By Roland Murphy for AZBEX
The Casa Grande Planning and Zoning Commission has recommended City Council approval for a 321-acre master plan with single-family, multifamily, industrial and commercial uses at the NEC of Selma Highway and Henness Road.
Vista Estates earned a Planned Area Development zoning designation to include “Commercial, Office, Single-Family Residential and Multi-Family Residential uses,” in 2006. Economic conditions prevented that plan from coming to fruition.
The site was purchased for $23M by Casa Grande 320 Acres LLC—an entity of Valley Land Group—in 2021. The current PAD request names Casa Grande 320 Acres as the owner and Arizona Land Consulting LLC as the developer. The request was prepared and submitted by EPS Group, Inc.
According to the submittal, “Vista Estates is perfectly designed for this area, as it places an extensive revenue generating commercial and industrial center and higher density residential spaces along Interstate 10, which is ideal to take advantage of the access that the freeway provides. The commercial, industrial and high-density areas also act as a natural buffer between the freeway and the single-family residential portions of the project.”
The amendment seeks to introduce approximately 61 acres for industrial, rearrange the area already entitled for multifamily and add another 15 acres, rearrange and reduce the commercial areas by 31.6 acres, reduce the single-family area by slightly more than 30 acres, and change the single-family lot sizes to comply with Casa Grande’s revised residential design standards.
Primary access to the development will be off Selma Highway via a new connector road to be named Camino Mercado. A trail network within the site will encourage alternative transportation and connect to a linear park corridor.
The proposed overall land use breaks down as:
- Approximately 190 acres of single-family with a density of 4.5 units/acre (855 lots),
- Approximately 45 acres of multifamily with a density of 24 units/acre for sections up to 20 acres and 12 units/acres for sections up to 25 acres (780 units),
- Approximately 61 acres of industrial, and
- Approximately 16 acres of commercial.
The residential areas will be buffered from the commercial/industrial areas by means of an open space amenity and creative landscaping.
Certificates of Assured Water Supply are in place for the development. With the recommendation from Planning and Zoning, the request now advances to the City Council for consideration. If the PAD amendment is approved, the developer will submit an additional preliminary site plan and supplemental for the various parcels as needed.
