By Roland Murphy for AZBEX
The Florence Planning and Zoning Commission will hold the first of two hearings this week to consider major General Plan amendments that would transform portions of an established planned unit development zone near Arizona Farms and Attaway roads into three master planned developments with a technology park, data centers, commercial and miscellaneous industrial uses.
The existing 1,810-acre Dobson Farms PUD was established in 2009. According to the submitted narrative, “The PUD created three primary residential development land use categories with four commercial and mixed-use categories along with areas reserved for school and parks. The Dobson Farms PUD was planned for a minimum of 15% open space for the overall community primarily represented in the parks and the open space areas designated within residential parcels. Development has yet to occur on any of the Dobson Farms PUD.”
Under Florence’s 2011 General Plan, the area was designated as a Master Planned Community. When the GP was updated in 2022, the designation was changed to Suburban Neighborhood.
The current proposals assert the Suburban Neighborhood designation is no longer the best intended use for the site. Because the impending expansions of the Central Arizona Parkway and the North-South Corridor will cut through the location, the area character is changing and will be better served with employment and industrial uses, according to the submittal.
The owners say they are proposing the amendments to better serve the area’s current needs and growth and to satisfy market demand. The company says its intended uses will “activate the undeveloped site to provide a quality development that supports the economic goals and objectives of the Town of Florence.”
Florence Tech Park
The first request from Ryan Companies would change the designation of 780 acres from Suburban Neighborhood to Industry District for a development area to be called Florence Tech Park.
The existing designation calls for retail, low- and medium-density residential, K-12 schools and assorted mixed-use. The request would change the uses to Light Industrial, which was formerly known as Commercial Industrial under the land use code.
While no specific development plans have been established yet, a conceptual site plan shows a two-phase development vision. The first phase, located on the western half of the site, would include a Salt River Project substation, two office buildings and five industrial pads. The second phase would have another SRP substation and five more industrial pads.
Dobson Farms East and West
The second request from Strand 600 LLC would change the designation of 239 acres at the NEC of Arizona Farms and Attaway roads from Suburban Neighborhood to Industry District to support general industrial and data center uses under a master plan called Dobson Farms East.
The NWC of Arizona Farms and Attaway is home to the third request, also from Strand 600, which will change the designation of 600 acres from Suburban Neighborhood to Industry District for another set of general industrial and data center uses in a development called Dobson Farms West.
Infrastructure and Circulation
Given their adjacent locations and overlapping planned uses, the three components share requirements for infrastructure and circulation. Because the sites are to be planned out as cohesive and complementary areas, the potential for a hodgepodge of ad hoc infrastructure components is likely to be avoided.
In terms of circulation, the narrative says, “Access to the Project will be provided from Attaway Road to the east and Arizona Farm Road to the south. Interior drive aisles will circulate within the Project providing access to each portion of the plan. The current alignment for the Central Arizona Parkway ties into Attaway Road north of the Project site. Additionally, the Arizona Department of Transportation has planned a future freeway to be constructed north-south known as the North-South Corridor or SR505L…This corridor is still in the process of being finalized by ADOT and is subject to adjustment. The project developer will work with ADOT and reach out periodically while the corridor is being finalized to ensure the smooth incorporation of the AZ Loop 505 freeway into the proposed GPA.”
Ryan Companies is the owner of Florence Tech Park. CVL Consultants is the planning firm and civil engineering consultant. Y2K Engineering performed the traffic analysis. The Law Offices of Garry D. Hays, PC is the project representative.
Strand 600 LLC owns both Dobson Farms properties. CVL Consultants serves as the planning firm and civil engineering consultant for these projects as well.
