By Roland Murphy for AZBEX
The complicated process of securing approval of a minor General Plan amendment and rezoning request for Lennar Corporation’s proposed Harvest Grove master plan remains unresolved for the time being.
After a nearly three-hour back-and-forth discussion with Town staff project representatives in the Nov. 18 hearing on the project, Gilbert Town Council issued a continuance until its Dec. 16 session to allow the developer and staff to continue working toward common ground.
This marks the second continuance from Council. The requests were initially scheduled for a hearing and vote Oct. 28.
AZBEX was the first outlet to report on the story when the plan was preparing to go before the Gilbert Planning Commission in June. Lennar is requesting the General Plan amendment and to replace the current assortment of zoning categories on the 312-acre site at the SEC of Val Vista Drive and Germann Road with a planned area development designation that would include attached and detached single-family, varying densities of multifamily and 35 acres of regional commercial. A 10-acre neighborhood commercial parcel was planned under a separate submittal. (AZBEX; June 3)
While Gilbert is often one of the more cumbersome jurisdictions when it comes to securing approvals for land use changes on mixed-use projects, Harvest Grove has proven to be exceptionally challenging. Some area residents had the standard complaints when faced with a major new project, including concerns about traffic, density and impacts to neighborhood character.
In reviewing the details, some of those complaints were echoed by Town staff, including parking and its configuration; overflow of through-traffic and parking onto surrounding streets, and the general density of the residential component.
In the presentation this week, staff recommended denial. They reported they have worked closely with project representatives on the list of concerns, with some items being resolved and many still outstanding.
A major concern that has been resolved since the last continuance was the lack of consideration of Coronado Road along the site’s eastern boundary, which staff feared would have major repercussions if not included in the planning. Since the continuance, Coronado has been included as a collector road connecting Germann and Queen Creek roads.
Staff continued to express concerns about the overall traffic impacts of the plan, as well as potential impacts to the San Tan Character Area as a whole and its importance to Gilbert and Queen Creek’s history as rural areas.
Town staff and many residents in the character area believe it should remain as “a combination of rural and suburban neighborhoods that enjoy the natural environment, including wildlife and small-scale agricultural activities,” according to the presentation.
Staff also expressed concerns about the open space plan. While the proposed open space of 69 acres, roughly 29% of the site, significantly exceeds the 10% requirement, staff had concerns about its allocation, believing several open areas were not conveniently accessible.
Brennan Ray of Ray Law Firm, the project representative, discussed Gilbert’s need for additional housing across a diverse mix of styles and offerings and explained how and why Lennar believes Harvest Grove addresses that need. He explained project representatives have had more than 30 meetings with Town staff about the project over the last 10 months and pointed out the site lies in the middle of a highly developed commercial corridor along Loop 202.
He also stressed Lennar’s 70-year history in home development and said a key focus of the company is building quality homes with a focus on resident safety and quality of life.
Discussion ranged back and forth between project representatives, Town staff and Council, with no concrete conclusions being offered. Several Councilmembers appeared inclined to deny the requests, based on the volume of staff objections. Ultimately, however, the matter was continued to the Dec. 16 meeting to enable more discussions in hopes of a mutually agreeable outcome.
