By Roland Murphy for AZBEX
The Casa Grande Planning and Zoning Commission has approved a major site plan for a duplex community proposed by developer Dominium on a 5-2 vote. The hearing, however, included an extensive discussion of low occupancies and rental unit saturation in the city.
The submittal prepared by iPlan Consulting details Dominium’s plan for 278 duplex units on a 25-acre property near the SWC of Peart and Earley roads. The location is within the 107-acre Peartly Point Planned Area Development approved earlier this year. Peartly Point includes areas for residential, commercial and industrial uses, according to the submitted narrative.
With a planned density of 11.12 units/acre, the proposed Horizon Homesteads development falls into the medium density residential target range of four-12 units under the stated development standards.
Resident amenities feature strongly in the proposed development. The primary amenity area includes a nearly 4.7KSF clubhouse with a fitness center, lounge, business center and the leasing office. A community pool, sun deck, turf and game area and playground are located next to the clubhouse, and smaller amenity and open space areas are distributed throughout the site. In addition to the community indoor and outdoor amenity areas, each unit features a small private yard.
According to the site plan, there will be 139 three-bedroom and 139 four-bedroom units and two building types.
Dominium (also known as Dominium Apartments) is the developer. The land planner is iPlan Consulting, and Todd & Associates Architecture is the design firm.
Casa Grande and Rental Occupancy
During the Planning and Zoning Commission hearing, discussion arose as to the state of rental housing in Casa Grande, with staff, Commission members and a local real estate agent all agreeing the city is experiencing an oversupply at the moment.
A local news outlet reported, for example, Casa Grande’s plan for Build-to-Rent and duplex units for the 2023-2030 period called for 840 units. The actual 2023 number was 3,218 zoned or in the major site plan stage.
City Planner James Gagliardi told the Commission a supply study was conducted at the end of last year for the various types of housing in the city and that found, “…we were way over-supplied,” for Build-to-Rent-style residences.
The 278 units in the Dominium plan for Horizon Homesteads in the Peartly Point PAD are included in the 3,218-unit total and will not contribute to units not previously considered in the supply study, according to Gagliardi’s report.
Tina Cramp, a Casa Grande resident and real estate agent with Keller Williams Legacy One, addressed the Commission and said her own market research supports the oversupply conclusion. Cramp said she called two rental residential communities—one a recently opened Build-to-Rent and one a traditional apartment complex that has been in place for several years—and found both are having difficulty attracting renters due to the current volume of available options.
Both communities have reduced rates twice in their attempts to draw renters, Cramp said.
Commission Vice Chair Celeste Garza and others also expressed concerns about the current state of supply, but said since Dominium had followed all the correct procedures and since the correct zoning was in place, approval of the site plan request was warranted.
Garza cautioned, however, that process changes were likely on the horizon. The article quoted her as saying, “I’m struggling with that supply needs situation. However, I do realize that we have already zoned this so there is an obligation for follow-through to occur now that it’s already rezoned. In the future, I think we’re done with this type of product and anything that wants to come in from the zoning perspective, just because we already have what we need at this point here in Casa Grande.”
