By Roland Murphy for AZBEX
The Casa Grande Planning and Zoning Commission will consider two proposals this week that – if approved and built as planned – will add 469 Build-to-Rent units to the city’s housing inventory.
Including these two projects – but omitting one master plan that has not established unit counts yet – the DATABEX project database shows a total of nine developments and up to 2,542 Build-to-Rent projects in various stages of planning and development in Casa Grande. Three of those projects: Hancock Cottonwood, The Bungalows on Florence and The Bungalows at Cottonwood and Trekell are under construction and total 696 units.
Village at Copper Sky
Empire Development is requesting a Planned Area Development amendment for 20.64 gross acres at the SWC of Florence Blvd. west of Cacheris Court. The amendment will modify the Copper Sky Marketplace PAD to add multifamily residential as a permitted use. Accompanying that request is a major site plan requesting approval of the site layout and conformance with the PAD development standards.
The request will amend the existing PAD for a 63-acre retail-zoned property that has sat vacant and undeveloped for 13 years. According to the submittal, the Build-to-Rent proposal hopes to activate the site and spur future development because, “As evidenced historically, commercial always follows rooftops.”
The proposal also notes the Casa Grande area’s explosion in employment – particularly in electric vehicle and other advanced manufacturing facilities – has generated an exceptional need for varied housing options.
Empire’s plan will provide 231 attached and free-standing Build-to-Rent build to rent units that the company will own and maintain as EMC Management LLC. All the homes will be single-story ranch-style structures with individual patio spaces.
According to the staff report, “The site will be comprised of 68 one-bedroom rental units within 34 duplexes, 128 detached two-bedroom rental units, and 35 detached three-bedroom rental units. These dwellings range from 670SF to 1,326SF.”
Planned amenities include a pool and hot tub area, a clubhouse and lounge with kitchen space, several barbeque areas with televisions and ramadas, gas fire pits and a variety of open spaces.
Planning staff has recommended approval for the requests. Empire Development is the developer. The design firm is Felten Group. McGough-Adamson is the landscape architect and site planner. The civil engineer is Coe Van Loo, and the project is represented by Rose Law Group PC. According to project representatives, construction is expected to begin in late Q2 or early Q3 2023.
The Elements at Casa Grande
Larson Development Group is requesting a PAD zoning and major site plan development plan for a vacant 20-gross-acre cite between West Clayton Road and West Gila Bend.
The plan includes one- and two-bedroom duplexes ranging in size from 800SF to 1,050SF and two-story triplex townhomes from between 1,400SF and 1,550SF. Unit layouts will range from one to four bedrooms. The homes are planned in a clustered configuration, with four-to-eight units around connected pedestrian courtyards.
Planned amenities include an interconnected pathway system, a clubhouse and pool area, a turf lawn, barbeque areas and gathering spaces. Each unit will be equipped with a private backyard patio with a shade tree and artificial turf.
Planning staff has also recommended this proposal for approval. Larson Development Group is the developer. The civil engineer is Bowman Consulting Phoenix. Greenlight Traffic Engineering is the traffic consultant, and the project is represented by Krahn Engineering (2021) Ltd.
