By Roland Murphy for AZBEX
Last week, the Avondale Planning Commission voted 6-0 to recommend a minor General Plan amendment and rezoning for a proposed tech park plan from Creation Equity.
Planned at the NEC of 119th Avenue and Corporate Drive, just south of Interstate 10, Avondale Tech Park will feature three buildings totaling 698.6KSF. Building A is planned for 253.9KSF, Building B for 232.9KSF and Building C for 211.8KSF. A total of 720 parking spaces is planned.
The 38-net-acre property currently carries a Mixed-Use land designation and is zoned City Center District. To allow for the planned project, Creation has requested a designation of Business Park and Planned Area Development zoning.
As described in the project plan description, the three planned buildings will have maximum heights of 55 feet and will serve a mix of office, light manufacturing, storage and assembly uses. The buildings will not be well-suited for warehousing/logistics purposes, since they are narrower than 250 feet. There will be multiple access points from 117th and 119th avenues, as well as from Corporate Drive. The SWC of the site will include an amenity area, which could include pickleball courts, and there will be enhanced landscaping throughout the parking areas and along the site perimeters.
According to the submitted narratives, “The property is currently vacant farmland. The property is surrounded on the north and south by vacant land. However, new multifamily apartments are under construction on the land to the south. New multi-family apartments border the eastern boundary and large Business Park buildings border the western boundary.”
In justifying the land use designation change, Creation said, “…the General Plan’s projected land use for the Site is Mixed-Use. However, the existing Mixed-Use category is not appropriate given the limited access and visibility of the Site for commercial activity. The Site is tucked away, behind multi-family developments and adjacent to the I-10, along two dead end roads, which is more appropriate for employment uses. In order to accommodate the redevelopment of the Site with an appropriately designed, high-quality, and modern technology campus development, the Applicant is proposing a minor General Plan amendment to project the site for Business Park use, which is appropriate for the site considering adjoining and nearby uses and the context of the area. The proposal qualifies for a minor GPA as the Site is under 40 acres and is not a substantial alteration to the land use mix.”
Explaining the project benefits, the narrative said, “The project is expected to attract key industries such as defense contracting, pharmaceutical developments, semiconductor manufacturing, and other advanced technology sectors. Its strategic location, near major freeways, a skilled labor force, and a variety of regional retail amenities, makes it especially well-suites for such companies within the TSMC, AMKOR, and Intel ecosystems.”
An in-person meeting was conducted in September to introduce the project to the surrounding community. Only one member of the public attended, and she appeared satisfied with the project, its design and amenities, according to the meeting summary.
Creation Equity is the project owner and developer. The design firm is LGE Design Build, and the project is represented by Gammage & Burnham.
