By Roland Murphy for AZBEX
For long-time Arizona residents, the growth and maturation of Glendale is still somewhat surprising. It wasn’t all that long ago the city was viewed as perpetually stalled – a kind of backwater where grand, and occasionally even modest, visions were proposed that then withered on the vine without coming to fruition.
The completion of the Loop 101, followed by the long-promised and eventually delivered Loop 303, and, later, the western leg of the Loop 202, finally put the stars in correct alignment, and project after project, employer after employer and rooftop after rooftop have followed, rewarding the faith of Glendale’s long-suffering boosters with the gift of being able to say, “I told you so.”
When viewed through this lens, two recent submittals to the Glendale Planning Commission, both of which are significant on their own, reflect the city’s ongoing maturation.
Woolf Crossing PAD
The Woolf Crossing Planned Area Development is a roughly 612-acre development site at the SEC of Olive Avenue and Loop 303 and split roughly in the middle by Northern Parkway. According to the project narrative for the new proposal, “The (original) PAD zoning district created a mixed-use development for residential and non-residential land uses.”
In 2006, Glendale approved a 738-acre PAD for a planned community. The implementation of Northern Parkway reduced those 738 acres to around 670, and the development of Loop 303 cut it down to the current 612.
In 2021, owners Woolf Family Enterprises Limited Partnership and Huron LLC were granted a change in land use designations for seven parcels at the site totaling 287 acres. Those parcels had been designated for 657 residential lots, an elementary school and park uses. The amendment replaced those designations with commercial and “Luke (Air Force Base) Compatible Uses,” which include warehouse and distribution facilities. Under the new amendment proposal, they want to change the designations for three more parcels totaling 166.4 acres to keep their development consistent with the earlier-amended parcels. The new amendment allows for additional industrial and employment uses.
In justifying the request, the narrative states, “Since the approval of the original Woolf Crossing PAD, the Loop 303 Corridor has energized the market for employment and industrial development, primarily for warehouse and distribution developments. These types of developments have eliminated the need for a single-family subdivision within the existing PAD.”
The property is currently undeveloped agricultural land. In addition to allowing harmonious uses with the already amended portions of the planned site, the narrative states, “This amendment will allow for cohesiveness between buildings within the Woolf Crossing PAD and the adjacent Woolf Logistics PAD which has the same landowner. The approval of the amendment and the development of the Property will allow for industrial/employment opportunities that will benefit the City of Glendale.”
Following a recommendation from planning staff and stipulations that primarily dealt with right-of-way issues, the Planning Commission voted to recommend the PAD amendment to the City Council.
District at Westgate Multifamily
In another proposal that went before the Planning Commission last month, property owners The Sam Robin and Blanche Robin Family Trust and developer Wolff Enterprises III LLC requested a minor general plan amendment and PAD rezoning for 19.2 acres known as The District at Westgate at the NEC of Ocotillo Road and 91st Avenue.
This application sought to change the property from medium density residential to high density and change the zoning from agricultural to planned area development to allow for the creation of a 368-unit apartment and 16-unit condominium development.
According to the narrative submitted in support of the request, “The proposal is a contemporary residential mixed-use project with multifamily housing and condominiums. The Project will feature a wealth of resident amenities, substantial open space, neighborhood dog park, and lush landscaping. The two housing components will share access onto public right of ways.”
The planned apartment unit mix calls for 11 studios, 158 one-bedroom, 171 two-bedroom and 28 three-bedroom units, for a total of 368. The condo portion will consist of 16 two-bedroom units.
The proposal went through substantial discussion with surrounding residents and incorporated several suggested revisions before finally being submitted for consideration. Planning Commission members praised the development team for their coordination in putting together what they saw as a refined and maturely planned project.
Following staff recommendations and stipulations, again primarily concerning rights-of-way, the Planning Commission voted to recommend that request to City Council for approval.
Glendale Vertical Private Development Snapshot
These two latest proposals are just two in a multi-market multitude of developments planned and delivered in Glendale since 2016. As of March 7th, DATABEX has 106 private projects listed in various stages of development within the city. A snapshot of the projects and their sizes and types gives a clear overview of the economic development juggernaut the once sleepy suburb has become.
A few notes to keep in mind:
- Nine proposals, many of them master plans, do not have project valuations available.
- 22 projects, again, many of them master plans, do not have estimated square footages. All nine projects without valuation estimates are also included in the 22-project total.
- Several projects, particularly under Master Plans and Multifamily, have a variety of uses and are shown here only by their primary project type.
Of those 106 vertical private projects tracked by DATABEX since its 2016 launch, Glendale has put nearly 53.8MSF of new space into development, with a total project valuation of more than $8.7B.
The depth of Glendale’s development field is also worth noting. DATABEX breaks down Glendale’s vertical private development statuses as follows:
- Design (18),
- Design, Pre-Construction (1),
- Design/Plan Review (7),
- Master Plan (8),
- Master Plan, Project Completed (1),
- Planning (7),
- Pre-Construction (5),
- Project Completed (26),
- Under Construction (33).
In not quite six years, 26 projects have completed in Glendale, 33 are currently under construction, and 38 are somewhere in the Design-to-Pre-construction phases. Not only has Glendale not peaked, its current and pending construction status fields show an enviable and sustainable pace of growth, assuming no black swan economic events and that the ongoing market-wide issues of labor shortages and materials price increases can be managed at least as well as they have been to this point.
Attesting to Glendale’s strength is the fact that, since DATABEX launched in 2016, only three major projects have been proposed and then canceled, a notable point that Glendale’s new and long-time supporters can point to with pride.
