The Gilbert Town Council closed out business for 2022 in a flurry of activity as three members had their final meeting on council.
Vice Mayor Aimee Yentes and council members Scott September and Laurin Hendrix sat on the dais for the final time, and Mayor Brigette Peterson joined the council in resolutions of thanks for each member’s service at a special meeting before the regular business meeting.
Their last meeting proved busy. Among the actions:
Council unanimously approved a continuance until Feb. 21 for the light-industrial project, The Ranch. Developers requested the action in light of progress made in meeting with neighbors who had objected to such an intense use next to their Morrison Ranch homes.
The sale of the South Anchor lot in the Heritage District was approved unanimously as part of the consent agenda, where items are grouped together and approved without discussion. The 2.88-acre lot at Gilbert and Elliot roads is being sold to St. Louis-based real estate group KDG for a mixed-use development at a cost of $4.6 million, plus an additional $250,000 payment for Heritage District improvements.
Council agreed to publish a notice of intent to increase the town's wastewater rates and its environmental compliance fee. A public hearing will be held in February.
Council unanimously approved a rezoning of a 10-acre lot near Baseline and Country Club roads to accommodate a high-density multifamily housing project and an Aldi grocery store. The town had received no objections to the rezoning until one came in Dec. 13 against all items on the agenda. Additionally, Council Member-elect Jim Torgeson spoke against the project as the 50th consecutive apartment project approved by council, though some members pointed out many projects fail before reaching council because of what they described as the town’s rigorous approval process.
Council unanimously approved the annexation of nearly 15 acres near Recker and Warner roads, and a subsequent minor General Plan amendment and rezoning to accommodate a residential project called Keystone, which will have 157 single-story “bungalow style” and two-story attached residential units on the site.
Council unanimously approved rezoning more than 15 acres at Higley and Ray roads for Modera Gilbert despite strong opposition from neighbors in the nearby Lyons Gate development. Modera Gilbert calls for a mixed-use development with approximately 22,000 square feet of ground floor commercial/retail space and 276 residential units divided among loft units above retail space and traditional multifamily residential buildings. Council members recognized the developers for large changes to their plans since they were first introduced in 2021 to make them more palatable for the town.
Council unanimously upheld a Design Review Board decision to approve the design plan for a Woodspring Suites Hotel. A resident, Joni Joiner, appealed the decision with the backing of Power Ranch neighbors. The appeal was based on the building’s elevation and color scheme. However, the town found the building to be within the elevation limit and the color scheme had subsequently been changed. Neighbors mostly voiced opposition to an extended-stay hotel coming into the area, but Town Attorney Chris Payne advised council that by law they could only consider the elevation and colors, not the building’s use.
Council created a subcommittee to consider an ethics code for council. Torgeson and council members Kathy Tilque and Scott Anderson will serve on the subcommittee.
At the special meeting, proclamations of thanks were read and passed by council for Yentes as vice mayor and a council member and for September and Hendrix as council members.
Yentes was elected in 2018 under her maiden name Aimee Rigler and since has been married and had two children during her time on council. She vowed to serve only one term and did not run for re-election this year. She served as vice mayor in 2022.
September was appointed to Brigette Peterson’s seat in March 2020 after Peterson resigned to successfully run for mayor. He lost a re-election bid this fall.
Hendrix won a two-year term in August 2020 for the seat once occupied by Eddie Cook, who resigned in February 2020 to become Maricopa County assessor. Because of the timing of Cook’s resignation, Bill Spence was appointed to the seat until an election could be held, and Hendrix won that election. However, he opted not to run for re-election for Town Council and instead successfully ran for a seat in the Arizona House of Representatives serving Legislative District 14. He must resign from the council between now and the start of the Legislative session.
At the next council meeting Jan. 10, new members Torgeson, Chuck Bongiovanni and Bobbi Buchli will be sworn into office.
The meeting was also the last that will be held at the Atlas Auditorium in the town's Public Safety Training Facility. The auditorium had been the site of the town's council meetings for for nearly a year and a half as Municipal Building I, site of council chamber, has been undergoing renovations, but that building is set for a ribbon cutting Dec. 14.
Tom Blodgett Senior News Editor | Gilbert @sp_blodgett
Meet Tom Tom Blodgett joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2022, when the company acquired Community Impact Newspaper's Phoenix-area properties. Raised in Arizona, he has spent more than 35 years in journalism in the state.
Community: He has served as an instructional professional in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication since 2005, and is editorial adviser to The State Press, the university's independent student media outlet. He also is director of operations for an 18U girls fastpitch softball team from Gilbert.
Education: Arizona State University with a BS in Journalism.
Random Fact: He lived in Belgium during his freshman year of high school.
Hobbies: Tweeting enthusiastically about ASU softball (season-ticket holder) and grumpily about other local sports (pessimistic fan).
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