By BEX Staff for AZBEX
Having been previously rejected by the Casa Grande Planning and Zoning Commission and the City Council, and after litigation was filed to contest those rejections, developer Westates has won approval of a revised major site plan for its Lofts at G-Diamond apartment community.
The original plan for the development at Korsten Road and Colorado Street included 190 units. That was revised down to 120 after vocal opposition from nearby residents expressing worry over potential traffic impacts, privacy concerns, potentially reduced property values and infrastructure impacts, among other complaints. That plan was rejected by both Planning and Zoning and City Council earlier this year.
Westates filed a lawsuit to challenge those denials. Last month, it also submitted a revised major site plan request, which local news outlets report Planning and Zoning voted 6-0 to approve last week over renewed resident objections expressing the same concerns.
The staff report accompanying the request to Planning and Zoning notes the G-Diamond Planned Area Development in place for the 10.2-acre site is zoned for multifamily development of up to 12 units/acre with a maximum height of 28 feet. Westates’ proposed development has a density of 11.76 units/acre in 21 two-story buildings.
According to the report, “The applicant has revised the site plan to address the public concerns that were expressed during both the December 7, 2023 Planning Commission hearing and the February 5, 2024 City Council meeting. In addition, prior to the City Council’s February 5th hearing, a new traffic study was conducted which identified specific level of service concerns at the Kortsen Rd and Peart Rd intersection. The applicant is proposing to construct a new right turn lane on eastbound Kortsen Rd which will address the identified level of service issues. Additionally, the City has programmed improvements to the other three legs of the Kortsen Rd and Peart Rd intersection in conjunction with the FY 2025 CIP budget which will further enhance the operation of this intersection.”
The revised plan also includes a reconfiguration of the buildings on the south side of the site to move them further north and reorients four of the five southern buildings so their balconies no longer face south.
During the hearing, project representatives explained the planned development meets all City code requirements and now addresses the earlier traffic concerns.
According to the news reports, opposition speakers dismissed the revisions, said they opposed any apartment use at the location and continued to express concerns over property value impacts and potential traffic and privacy issues.
Commissioners voting in favor of the plan said they were not driven by fear of litigation and that their considerations were based on trying to strike a balance between the rights of property owners and the concerns about community impact.
The development and planning team is comprised of Westates, Planning Outpost, smART Development Landscape Architecture, CivilWorks Inc. and Lokahi.
