By Roland Murphy for AZBEX
Another major project is joining the ranks of those seeking development delays due to market conditions and process considerations.
The Innovation Centre in Goodyear is a master-planned mixed-use proposal on the 224-acre site of a former racetrack facility that was demolished in 2017. The predominant portion of the plan is a roughly 140-acre industrial development of approximately 2.2MSF. The other components include a 26-acre commercial/retail and entertainment district and a 59-acre office/employment district.
Keystone Equities purchased the land and, after two rejections from the Goodyear Planning Commission, secured City Council’s approval for Planned Area Development rezoning of the 224 acres in 2020, with 37 stipulations attached. One requirement was that construction commences by January of this year.
Keystone sold the 140 acres to industrial developer Crow Holdings Industrial, which planned a five-building industrial center with structures ranging in size from 155KSF up to 1.26MSF. A revised site plan from August 2022 shows six buildings between 161.9KSF and 654KSF.
Now, however, project representatives have requested an indefinite delay on the construction start, citing impacts from the pandemic, supply chain issues and review times from the City of Goodyear and other entities. The site also has a number of special requirements due to its location in a flood zone.
In reviewing the request, City planning staff instead recommended a two-year extension for the Planned Area Development rezoning request, stating, “Although the applicant requested an indefinite extension, staff is supporting a two-year extension, which addresses the delays caused by the pandemic and the purported delays in review times. However, if the City Council directs staff to rescind the zoning, then an item will need to be brought before the Council, through the public hearing process, to formally revert the Innovation Centre property’s zoning to its previous zoning classification.”
Goodyear City Council unanimously approved the PAD extension in its Feb. 6 meeting. Project representatives have told BEX Companies project researchers the revised tentative construction start is October 2023, with a targeted completion date of March 2025.
