By Roland Murphy for AZBEX
Woda Cooper Companies has proposed an 81-unit, 55-plus affordable housing development called Marigold Crossing on Peart Road south of Florence Blvd.
The Casa Grande Planning and Zoning Commission was scheduled to hear the project rezoning request in its Dec. 4 meeting, but a technical difficulty arose with the posting of the agenda. As a result, this request and several other agenda items were postponed until next month.
The rezoning request would remove conditions associated with the property that were instituted when the J. Warren Funeral Services facility was approved and built north of the proposed site.
The Marigold Crossing development is planned for three stories with a total building area of 82.3KSF. The planned unit mix calls for 47 one-bedroom and 34 two-bedroom units. The facility would have 124 parking spaces.
According to the staff report, “The community would incorporate several key amenities, including a fenced community garden, a grill area, an aesthetically pleasing entry canopy with welcome benches, sufficient perimeter security with aluminum fencing, and native trees and shrubs to complement the surrounding landscape.”
When the funeral home was built, the Marigold Crossing site was rezoned from planned area development to R-3, with the restriction that the property could only be developed with for-sale units. Meeting that condition would necessitate a townhome or condominium plat, which would not be able to secure the necessary Certificate of Assured Water Supply under current Arizona Department of Water Resources policies.
The Marigold Crossing proposal seeks to remove those restrictions but will implement enhanced design elements and setbacks to minimize impacts on either facility.
Staff has recommended approval of the request. Public notices were issued according to City requirements, but no comments were received as of the drafting of the staff report.
Meeting a Need
Marigold Crossing is planned as an affordable/attainable housing source for area residents aged 55 and older. The target population would be those with incomes between 30% and 60% of the Area Median Income.
Despite the item having been postponed from the Dec. 4 agenda, Woda Cooper Development Specialist Omer Sarig spoke during the public comment portion of the meeting to briefly introduce the project. He explained Woda has maintained ownership and management of nearly all the roughly 350 properties it has built across a 17-state area.
He said the company looks to collaborate with residents and jurisdictions where it builds to ensure its properties are a value-add for the communities. Speaking specifically about Marigold Crossing, he explained Woda has collaborated with the funeral home operators and incorporated their feedback into the site plan and development vision to ensure the proposal benefits both facilities, adding that the funeral home has said it has no remaining concerns about the plan.
He also said the project has the support of the Pinal Alliance for Economic Growth, which “has keenly expressed support for Marigold Crossing and believes the senior population of Casa Grande would greatly benefit from new, attainable housing stock.”
The latest City affordable housing plan reported 56% of senior residents are cost-burdened for housing, spending more than 30% of their income. Casa Grande has a goal of creating or preserving 2,000 attainable units by 2030. A quarter of those, Sarig said, are to be directed toward seniors. He reported that Marigold Crossing, if approved and built as planned, “would contribute to 16% of the senior housing objective.”
