Following 20 years with no activity, amendments to the 3,212-acre Sandia Planned Area Development have been approved by the Coolidge City Council.
The project was first annexed and zoned in 2005 and 2006. There were issues with the ownership groups, however, and the project owners, LeSueur Investments and Andersen Capital Partners, were unable to reassemble the property until 2015.
The original plan called for nearly 11,000 residential units, 156 commercial acres, 73 acres of parks and a 349-acre golf course.
The new plan, represented by Colliers Engineering & Design, is intended to conform with General Plan updates implemented in the intervening years.
Under the new vision, the golf course has been removed. The plan now calls for 11,839 residential units, 481 acres of open space, 268 “miscellaneous” use acres, 117 commercial acres, 73 acres for public facilities and 31 acres for schools. The road circulation plan has also been updated to conform with the enhanced transportation development in the area over the years. A 41-acre water campus is also planned.
Under the original pre-annexation, and retained in the current plan, one planned park in the development will be dedicated to the City of Coolidge, once built.
Some nearby residents expressed strong opposition, with one person saying, “We enjoy our house, the peace and quiet, the serenity and the stars at night. We don’t want neighbors. Plain and simple — we don’t want neighbors.”
LeSueur officials stressed their desire to work with residents and the City to attempt to work out any remaining issues.
Despite some Council members expressing frustration with LeSueur over the lack of a stated timeline and the fact it has taken so many years to show a willingness to move the project forward, the update was approved by a vote of 5-2. (Source: PinalCentral)
