By BEX Staff for AZBEX
Developer Mike Lafferty’s plan for a multiphase workforce multifamily community that would provide 354 units on a 20-acre site near the Inland Port of Arizona moved closer to fruition this month with a recommendation for rezoning approval from the Coolidge Planning and Zoning Commission.
Lafferty Development is seeking planned area development rezoning for the site near the SEC of State Route 87 and Hanna Road.
In their presentation to the Commission at the Sept. 11 meeting, Lafferty and Bill Gasque of Civil Design Solutions explained Lafferty’s years of involvement with workforce housing development in Arizona and presented the benefits they expect to provide the Coolidge community with the as-yet-unnamed development currently under consideration.
Unlike commissions in most other jurisdictions, the Coolidge Planning and Zoning Commission does not release project documentation as part of its agenda-related materials. BEX Research staff has filed a public records request and is currently awaiting a response.
Presentations to the Commission are also filmed on a static camera, rather than as part of an integrated audio visual system that allows viewers to see the materials. Still, combining the video and information from local news outlets provides a good preliminary overview of the planned development.
The project is planned across six phases and will include 16 buildings in total. A three-acre commercial component will be included in the last phase. The total development timeline is estimated at six-to-eight years.
As originally proposed, the project called for 414 units and eight buildings. That density exceeded the 20 unit/acre maximum targeted in the Coolidge General Plan, however, which led to the current proposed count of 354.
The first phase will consist of construction of internal roadways, external roadway improvements, retention areas and two residential buildings with approximately 50 units. Planned amenities include multiuse sports fields that can double as event space. The amenity development will begin in the first phase and continue through subsequent phases until the delivered unit count reaches approximately 200.
One Commissioner specifically asked about dedicated play structures since there are no other parks or play areas in the immediate area for children. Lafferty assured members that child-focused play areas are included in the plan and will begin in the initial phase.
Lafferty said the development team worked with CivTech to create a traffic impact analysis and is planning roadway improvements focused on resident safety beyond those deemed necessary by the Arizona Department of Transportation. The team will work with ADOT to implement the road developments.
Lafferty said he expects to begin development in approximately two years after securing the necessary approvals. He said he is currently working with Global Water Resources to determine when Global will be ready with water and sewer service for the development, and Global has given him a two-year estimate.
