When it meets on July 16, the Peoria Planning and Zoning Commission will take up a request from homebuilder K. Hovnanian to rezone a 21.71-acre site at the NEC of Happy Valley Road and Lake Pleasant Pkwy.
The Travesio location is part of a larger 72-acre area K. Hovnanian acquired for $30.6M in an Arizona State Land Department auction in early 2025. The rezoning request looks to amend the 22-acre portion from Suburban Ranch 43 to Planned Area Development, with the intention of creating a 50-lot single-family development and a retail/commercial center.
The staff report accompanying the request shows the site was annexed into Peoria in 1989 and received its current zoning in 1991.
A local news outlet reported the nearly 6.2-acre proposed commercial portion at Lake Pleasant Pkwy. and Yearling Road is under contract for sale to retail/commercial developer SimonCRE. According to the submitted narrative, “The Applicant envisions a new 6.16-acre commercial shopping center and a 15.54-acre residential community that aligns with the vision of the underlying general plan designation. Along Lake Pleasant Pkwy, the Applicant proposes a specialty grocery store and drive-through restaurant in the commercial area. The commercial development shall be limited to only one drive-through restaurant. The commercial and residential components share the same style/theme to create a cohesive development.”
SimonCRE CEO Josh Simon declined to identify the grocer in the article.
Matt Bullock, who represents the area on Peoria City Council, teased the upcoming development in social media posts this month. While the details are currently under a non-disclosure agreement, Bullock pledged more information would be provided when Council meets Aug. 11.
Speculation in the news article and online indicates the occupant may be Whole Foods, based on the lot size and prospective footprint, as well as Whole Foods’ recent area expansions and some terminology used in the documentation, such as “high-end specialty grocer.”
K. Hovnanian is the current owner. The prospective owner is SimonCRE. CVL Consultants is the engineering firm and landscape architect. The proposal is represented by Withey Morris Baugh PLC.
