By Roland Murphy for AZBEX (BEXCLUSIVE)
‘Tis the season for zombie projects to rise enthusiastically back to life.
The Pinal County Planning and Zoning Commission has recommended approval for a master plan from owner Diversified Partners and residential developer Guefen Development Partners for a new project near San Tan Valley, replacing stalled plans that go back several years.
The trio of requests before the Commission in its Oct. 19 meeting included a Non-Major Comprehensive Plan Amendment, a rezoning and a Planned Area Development to allow for development standards for a multiple dwelling residential development, according to the staff report. The site covers slightly more than 112 acres near the SEC of Ocotillo and Gantzel roads.
The site had previously made up most of the Links at Queen Creek golf course. Commercial development started north of the course in 2008, and the course continued operations until 2021.
The DATABEX project database shows plans for this site dating back to at least 2018. The original announcement for “The Ironwood District” included apartments, a nationally branded hotel, senior living, single-family residential, dining and entertainment outlets. That plan never advanced, however, and Diversified Partners announced in January 2022 it had closed on the property and was planning single-family and multifamily residential.
The overall site is divided into five parcels.
Parcel 1 covers 17.71 gross acres and would be developed with 220 detached single-family units. Parcel 2 is 13.77 gross acres planned for an eventual office development of approximately 120KSF. Parcel 3 covers 20.45 acres and is planned for 321 townhomes. Parcel 4 at 52.72 gross acres is planned for a total of 170 Build-to-Rent units, and Parcel 5’s 7.49 acres would be reserved for open space, according to the conceptual site plan.
According to the staff report, three cases were put to the Commission to enable the new development:
- A non-major Comprehensive Plan amendment redesignating the 38.16 acres of parcels 1 and 3 from Suburban Neighborhood to Community Center land use designations,
- Rezoning of Parcel 1’s 17.71 acres from Single Residence and Parcel 3’s 20.45 acres from General Business Multiple Residence, and
- An amendment to the Villa Sereno Planned Area Development approved in 2008 for the entire 112.17 acres “to the Ironwood and Ocotillo PAD Overlay Zoning District, on 95.23± acres, to allow for development standards for a multiple dwelling residential development.”
Promoting economic development and sustainability in the immediate area, along with increasing the diversity of the housing supply around San Tan Valley are among the key project justifications in the submitted narrative. “The Site is located outside of the employment center areas identified on Pinal County’s Economic Development Plan found within the Comprehensive Plan,” it says.
“The Site is adjacent to an area that is designated Community Center, comprised of commercial lots that has struggled to attract retailers. By increasing the density in the areas adjacent to those designated Community Center, the Site will cultivate a stronger interdependent relationship between commercial and residential areas that will bolster economic sustainability.” The narrative goes on to say, “San Tan Valley has virtually no housing diversity beyond single-family detached housing which limits who can live in the area. According to the Retail Market Analysis, San Tan Valley would need at least 8,100 additional rental units to reach the Greater Phoenix MSA average and this Site adds much needed single-family rental and multi-family stock.”
All three requests were unanimously approved.
According to the submitted materials, Diversified Partners is the property owner. The applicant is Guefen Development Partners. ABLA is the planner and landscape architect. EDI International PC is the project architect. Sunrise Engineering is the civil engineer. Traffic engineering is by Y2K Engineering LLC. The project representative is Burch & Cracchiolo.
