Hines is requesting a rezoning from Rural Residential (RR) to Medium (R-2) and High Density (R-3) Residential for a roughly 199-acre site of undeveloped desert land east of 163rd Avenue and Jomax Road in Surprise.
Rezoning will enable the development of Nobella, a mixed residential project of traditional single-family, single-family for rent and Build-to-Rent homes.
As currently envisioned, the plan calls for 479 R-2 and 418 R-3 lots.
The project narrative accompanying the request shows the plan fits with the City’s 2035 General Plan. It says, “The General Plan’s Anticipated Growth Map shows where growth is likely and encouraged to occur within the City. The Site is located within the 163rd Corridor Growth Area. The 163rd Avenue Corridor Growth Area is designated as a growth area that should include a full range of housing opportunities.” The plan’s overall density of 4.48 dwelling units/acre falls nearly in the middle of the two-to-eight-unit density called for under the Suburban Neighborhoods Development Type.
The submittal shows traditional single-family homes will be built primarily on 48-foot lots, with some lots reaching 50-to-60 feet. The rental components will two-story, and some will feature third story elements.
Surrounding land uses include the Rio Caballo Planned Area Development, which has requested approximately 700 lots, to the west, and large-lot residential areas to the east, north and south.
Open space is a central feature in the plan’s aesthetic, with a large wash and pedestrian greenbelt traversing the site. The greenbelt will blend drainage needs with a large park amenity. Stated potential uses include an overlook, looped trails, butterfly gardens, shade structures, sports and activity areas, a dog park, multiuse lawn and “health-oriented play structures.” A community-wide soft trail system will link to the greenbelt, and several parcels will include pocket parks.
Water infrastructure for the development will require a connection to the 16-inch water line on Jomax and a secondary connection to the 12-inch water line on Pinnacle Vista Drive. The grading and drainage plans are also detailed and planned to accommodate volumes from a 100-year, two-hour design storm. As to roads and streets, Jomax Road, Pinnacle Vista Drive, 155th Avenue and 159th Avenue will be developed as part of the project. Planning and execution will be ongoing between the developer, Surprise and the Maricopa County Department of Transportation for dedication and construction of the roadways and necessary infrastructure.
In its report, Surprise planning staff found the plan to be consistent with the City’s General Plan and recommended it for approval by the Surprise Planning and Zoning Commission, subject to minor stipulations.
The Opposition
As has become common with most new housing proposals, particularly those adding density and any type of multifamily component, some existing residents have expressed opposition.
In most cases, opponents express their opposition – focusing on traffic, water availability, existing neighborhood character, impacts on property values, and the myth that multifamily increases crime and attracts “undesirable elements” – individually. Opponents to Nobella appear to be taking a page from a playbook that has found a high degree of success in Scottsdale and have presented a more united front.
Project representatives held an informal meeting at a resident’s home to identify and solidify concerns. After postings and notifications, an official public meeting was held May 4th, with 50 in-person and 16 virtual attendees. According to the meeting report, “The questions and comments at the meeting covered the following topics: traffic delays at 163rd Avenue and Grand Avenue, crime, traffic studies, density, run off water, business motivations, land sales, project timeline, apartments, environmental studies, wildlife, perimeter fencing, property values, traffic flow, section 8 housing, rental properties, road additions (making a new road at 156th or 157th Avenue), why the name was chosen, equestrian trails, history of Hines company, city obligations on water and sewer, school capacity, and follow up/next steps as it pertains to meetings.”
As of the publication of the materials packet for the upcoming Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, 48 emails in opposition had been received. Of those, 41 included all or part of a form letter stating the reasons for opposition. All 41 were received between May 17th and May 23rd.
Interestingly, of the seven that did not include the pre-written material, only two were received after May 17th.
The core message reads as follows:
We oppose rezoning 199.21 acres of RR land to R2 or R3. The existing neighborhood is in contrast to the proposed development to add medium or high density, multi-family residential units, which goes against the Surprise General Plan.
We are for developments that have well thought out transitional zones, and that keep the character of the established neighborhood a priority. Low-density, single-family residences are best for the area and best for Surprise per the General Plan (pg 84) where it states that home ownership (not multi-family rentals) is proven to have the best association with neighborhood health and property value:
“There have been several studies on the relation between the neighborhood stability and home ownership. There is considerable support for an association between home ownership and both improved property maintenance and longer lengths of tenure. Studies indicate less residential mobility and greater property value appreciation in areas with greater home ownership. “
Multi-family zoning districts do not promote neighborhood health and property values. R3 is geared towards and urban area, ‘R3 definition: ‘The R-3 zoning district reflects the urban development type and is allowed in the neighborhood character area in accordance with the General Plan’ (Surprise Municipal codes: Sec 106-2.4-106.2.5) This is NOT an urban area, and this proposed rezoning should not be considered on that fact alone. Again, the planning and zoning commission should not approve this proposed rezoning.
It should be noted that all that use the full message contain the reversed end quote mark in the third paragraph, confirming it was cut and pasted from an original.
We also were not able to identify the original source of the overall message before deadline. One May 17th message, however, contained the writer’s personal views on the matter before inserting the core message and said, “The neighbors have all come together and wrote this unifying message.”
While this opposition campaign and many others like it allege negative impacts on existing home values, infrastructure burdens and crime rates, most objective research – particularly in the past 15 years since the onset of the “Age of the Renter by Choice” – has shown the opposite to be true.
A list of studies debunking the various sentiment-based legs of the standard NIMBY arguments and methodologies could fill an entire issue of this magazine. We won’t do that to our readers or ourselves. One study in particular is worth noting because in just 24 fairly straightforward pages it reviews prior research and takes apart each aspect of the argument point by point.
Published by the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University in 2007, “Overcoming Opposition to Multifamily Rental Housing,” by Mark Obrinsky and Debra Stein strikes a rare balance between readability, objectivity and thoroughness in addressing issues of infrastructure, traffic, crime rates, “undesirability,” affordability, school burden and property values.
Anyone interested in development opposition, affordability, housing supply, social impacts and the other litany of issues associated with the topic would do well to start with this report. That is particularly true for those inclined to prick up their ears when the NIMBY dog whistle is blown.
Nobella is scheduled to go before the Surprise Planning and Zoning Commission this Thursday, June 2nd.
