By Roland Murphy for AZBEX
Last week, we told you about the master plan to bring a 360-unit apartment complex, 259 Build-to-Rent units and 26KSF of commercial development to a 40-acre site near Sonoran Desert Drive and North Valley Parkway, just east of the I-17 and Loop 303 intersection. (AZBEX, Nov. 9, 2021)
Two more proposals are making their way through the City of Phoenix approval process that, if built, will bring another 398 traditional multifamily units and 354 Build-to-Rent units to the same area.
The requests for all three projects seek to remove their sites from the North Gateway Planned Community District. As previously reported, the PCD was established in 2001 with the expectation that a master developer looking to build a project there would create the necessary infrastructure to support it. Since that never happened, and since the parcels are individually owned, the PCD is considered defunct, according to staff reports for all three projects. Rezoning is necessary to develop an individual property outside the original PCD’s infrastructure requirements.
The PCD included an approved mid-rise overlay to promote density. Staff has determined removing the overlay that is consistent with both the new plan’s proposed building heights and with the heights of developments already in the area.
The three projects all lie approximately two miles from the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Plant site. Other key developments in the area include the Legacy Sports Arena and Hotel Project. The Sonoran Foothills residential and commercial neighborhood sits just across North Valley Parkway, and the Honor Health Sonoran Crossing Medical Center lies a little more than 1.25 miles to the northwest.
Several property owners and stakeholders in the Planned Community District have commissioned a traffic study from CivTech to analyze the area’s overall traffic capacity. According to the staff reports’ stipulations, all three projects will have to submit the study results.
29th & Sonoran Desert Multifamily
To recap last week’s article, the 29th & Sonoran Desert Master Plan is a proposal by property owner Britmet Ventures and developer Blueprint Capital. If approved and built as proposed, the townhouse portion of the development will provide 259 rental units, with a breakdown of 128 one-bedroom, 77 two-bedroom and 54 three-bedroom units. The apartment section will include 360 units in 15 40-foot-tall buildings, and the commercial development will consist of four buildings, with three space drive-thru restaurants and an as-yet-unspecified fourth space.
The Phoenix Planning Commission also recommended approval in its November 4th hearing.
Bronco Butte Multifamily
The apartment complex proposal for the area is being dubbed Bronco Butte Multifamily. The request from CWS Capital Partners LLC intends to place 398 multifamily units on a 20.96-acre site near the SWC of Dove Valley Road and North Valley Parkway.
The proposed unit mix consists of 14 carriage units, 132 one-bedroom units, 216 two-bedroom units, and 36 three-bedroom units in a total of 24 buildings of not more than three stories each. There will be 623 parking spaces provided, and parking will be distributed across the site with a combination of garage spaces, covered spaces and unreserved open spaces for both resident and visitor use.
Access will be provided through two gated points along 29th Avenue. The main entry point will be located east of the planned clubhouse.
Taking advantage of the desert environment, the site design is intended to encourage pedestrian activity around both 29th Avenue and the Paseo del Prado. A natural wash running north to south on the property’s eastern side will be incorporated with the minimum impact possible.
The Phoenix Planning Commission approved the rezoning request in its September 2nd hearing. The Phoenix City Council followed suit and approved it in its November 6th meeting.
The developer is CWS Capital Partners LLC. The design firm is BMA Architecture. No construction timeline information has been made available yet.
Village at Bronco Trail
Village at Bronco Trail is a proposed Build-to-Rent development that will yield up to 354 detached and single-family rental units upon completion.
Documents provided to the City of Phoenix supporting the rezoning request show a mix of 126 one-bedroom, 189 two-bedroom and 39 three-bedroom units. While 551 parking spaces are required, the plans call for 721 to be provided, consisting of 56 garage spaces and 665 surface parking spaces, of which at least 360 will be covered.
Planned amenities include a pool and clubhouse area, a playground and at least four open space areas. A 30-foot paseo runs east to west through the approximate center of the planned development, and a 10-foot multiuse trail runs north to south on the western perimeter.
The North Gateway Village Planning Committee recommended denial of the rezoning request at its November 2nd meeting. The Phoenix Planning Commission is scheduled to take up the matter on December 2nd.
Empire Group of Companies is the developer. Architectural services are by Felten Group. McGough Adamson is the landscape architect.
