The Ranch, a 300-plus acre industrial development project in east Gilbert that stirred neighbors’ anger with town council in the fall, won calm approval June 20 after developers presented their compromise plan.
Neighbors who had once railed against council and the developers endorsed the new plan, which council approved through four separate 6-1 votes. Council Member Bobbi Buchli voted in dissent on each vote.
“I think the change came when we got some people involved in the project that wanted to create a legacy-type project here, not just do another industrial stamp project, cookie cutter, stamp it and go, stamp it and go,” said Sean Lake, the attorney for the developers.
The developers are IndiCap, a privately held corporation that specializes in ground-up industrial investment and development services; the Colmena Group, a real estate development and investment company; and investor Langley Properties.
The project now calls for turning 311.18 acres west of Power Road between Warner and Elliot roads and rezoning it after general plan amendments into:
221.3 acres of light industrial;
50.22 acres of general commercial;
14.92 acres of multifamily medium-density housing;
15.67 acres of mixed use/large; and
9.07 acres of mixed use/small development.
Most of the area will have a planned area development overlay that will allow for an accessory structure height that reaches 65 feet.
The new plan would include up to 750 residential units, a restaurant-and-retail district across Elliot from the Cactus Yards sports complex, and 16.6 acres of open space bordering the Morrison Ranch neighborhood to the west. The open space would include trees and landscaping, open grass areas and a trail.
The plan worked up with neighbors’ input also creates buffers on all sides from the industrial uses, Lake said. Internal traffic flow would direct residential traffic out to Elliot and Power roads and commercial truck traffic out to Power and Warner roads.
Those points, along with planned covenants, conditions and restrictions on uses, was enough to alleviate the neighbors’ concerns from the fall that fueled the anger over the project. The CC&Rs will prohibit industrial uses like semiconductor or battery manufacturing or other uses with hazardous materials.
The original project called for 280.6 acres of light industrial and 21.8 of general commercial, later revised in an unsuccessful attempt to placate neighbors to 255 acres of light industrial, 30.9 acres general commercial and 16.5 acres business park.
Neighbors’ concerns included 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.
Tensions boiled over in a September council meeting with an overflow crowd at the Public Safety Training Facility’s Atlas Auditorium, which was then hosting council meetings. Council critics carried signs that read, “Stop Lying” and "Don’t Mesa my Gilbert,” the meeting had to be paused because of outbursts and three people were ejected, later prompting a lawsuit against the town.
The project was to come before council in November, but the developers asked for a continuance at that time to work on revising it more. At that point, neighbors still were expressing vehement opposition.
But by the time it came back in December, at which time it was given another continuance, tensions had begun to subside as the developers were beginning to work with the neighbors.
“To see the community go from enraged to engaged was remarkable to see,” Council Member Chuck Bongiovanni said June 20. “I really appreciate that.”
Neighbors and council members expressed appreciation for Gilbert resident and fifth-generation Arizonan Stacy Brimhall of Langley Properties for engaging with the neighbors to address their concerns.
“We’re vested,” Brimhall told council. “This is our town. It will be a place where not only we raised our kids, but our grandkids will be raised, our great grandkids will be raised. We want something really great, a legacy.”
Neighbors also praised Vice Mayor Kathy Tilque and council members Bongiovanni and Jim Torgeson for stepping in to help mediate.
“I will say that the process to get here wasn't perfect, and the plan before you tonight reflects a lot of hard work and frankly a lot of compromise,” neighbor Jennifer Wada said. “But there has been significant improvement, and I, like many of my friends and neighbors, no longer oppose it.”
Several neighbors and council members noted the plan was not perfect but represented a compromise that will allow it to move forward.
Mayor Brigette Peterson said she has struggled with this case a lot and finds the decision a difficult one.
“This is a huge piece of property,” she said. “I know you've all come here with the best-case scenario, I think, for everybody. You've come to a compromise.”
Buchli did not comment on the case or explain her no vote, though she campaigned on an anti-apartment platform.
The town’s development staff endorsed the plan, and Gilbert Economic Development Deputy Director Jennifer Graves said it will help the town accomplish several goals, including job and tax-base growth.
Lake said the project could be worth up to a billion dollars' worth of increase in assessed valuation of property.
“That goes to benefit, as was pointed out, the secondary property tax and pay for a lot of the things that the town wants that benefit the entire town,” he said. “But also schools — about 50% of that tax of this property goes to the school district, which we all want to have better schools and funding for the schools.”
Tom Blodgett can be reached by email at tblodgett@iniusa.org or follow him @sp_blodgett on Twitter. We would like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments, pro or con, on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org.
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).
The Ranch,
Morrison Ranch,
IndiCap,
Colmena Group,
Langley Properties,
Gilbert Town Council,
Brigette Peterson,
Kathy Tilque,
Chuck Bongiovanni,
Jim Torgeson,
Bobbi Buchli,
Sean Lake,
Stacy Brimhall,
Jennifer Wada,
Jennifer Graves
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