Gilbert Planning Commission members suggested more work was to be done to mitigate Morrison Ranch residents' concerns about a proposed light industrial project on Power Road to the east of their community.
Commissioners’ comments came Wednesday at the first of two reviews for the project, called “The Ranch.” Two reviews are required because the project would involve a major amendment to the voter-approved General Plan.
Commissioner Anthony Bianchi said the proposal is the largest he can recall seeing.
“This proposal would fundamentally change the look and feel especially of the eastern portion of the Morrison Ranch planned development,” he said. “As far as where I am at currently, that’s kind of why I am struggling with this proposal.”
Residents during public comment kept up their opposition to the project, located on Power between Elliot and Warner roads. They also have been vocal at recent Gilbert Town Council meetings, though the project has not advanced to a council meeting yet.
The proposal
The 302.4-acre site is zoned for 56 acres of industrial usage, 144.7 acres of general office space and 101.2 acres of general commercial. The amendment proposal would call for a change to 280.6 acres of light industrial and 21.8 of general commercial.
The opposition has been strong enough that the land-use attorney representing the developer, Adam Baugh, who lives a few blocks from the project, said he may be “Public Enemy No. 1” among his neighbors.
Baugh said when he first heard of the idea, he was excited about it because of the economic and infrastructure benefits it would provide close to his home.
“Selfishly, it seemed like a great idea,” he said. “And I think, as I have learned over really the last 30 days, that I might be alone in that opinion. And that’s fine. I still believe in the merits of the land-use case.”
The proposed plan would build 4 million square feet of industrial employment uses and 126,000 square feet of retail space on the southwest corner of Power and Elliot roads and northwest corner of Power and Warner roads.
Baugh said developers are open to fitness, dining, retail, service uses or a hotel on the two commercial corners.
The industrial aspect is 17 buildings of 70,000 to 600,000 square feet with heights ranging from 42 to 55 feet, lower than what would be allowed by the zoning, but it is possibile accessory structures like antennas or a material silo would go up to 65 feet. Those structures would be at least 600 feet from homes, according to the proposal.
Residents' concerns
Residents in public meetings and by correspondence have pushed to keep the General Plan’s zoning, objecting to the buildings’ heights, the lack of transition to residential housing, the development being too intense for the area, the proposal not fitting in with the vision for the Morrison Ranch area, noise and truck traffic.
Baugh said the area has failed since 2009 to attract the uses for which it is zoned, something he partially attributed to the odd zoning configuration of the land. He said Power Road is already an industrial corridor and that the development would support needed employment in Gilbert.
Jennifer Graves, the town’s economic development deputy director, said the town does try to achieve “economic parity” between labor force and jobs, though she added the town probably will never be a net importer of labor.
“We are trying to achieve a vision and a goal within our community from an economic perspective of closing that gap, creating more jobs in the community for our residents to be able to work closer to home,” she told the commission. “And we do believe that creates a better quality of life.”
Mitigation
Beyond the limiting of building heights, Baugh pointed to several other mitigations the developers have put in for residents, including increased setbacks and landscaping, particularly on the project’s western edge, where it borders residents.
Baugh said more modifications are coming, which commissioners welcomed.
“I think there definitely is room for improvement with regards to the layout of the site,” Chairman Jan Simon said. “I agree with a few of the neighbors, where I think that if we had the big buildings right up against residential, I could have some concern there, but I do believe the applicant has done a great job with regard to the distance.”
Commissioner Leslie Davis said she too had concerns about things like trucks coming in and out of the area right next to a residential area.
“I do think the applicant needs to look at ways to design the site plan to better buffer the neighborhood,” she said.
The commission will conduct a second review Oct. 20, at which point a vote will be taken. The proposal could go before Town Council on Nov. 15.
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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