Developer abandons south Chandler plan, will sell land

By Jason W. Brooks
Mail | X: @JasonWBrooks2

A contentious set of proposals for a county island in the south Chandler area will result in no construction,  as a developer has confirmed it will sell the land.

Dominium had tried to gain approvals for at least two major iterations of developments for 25 infill acres along Ocotillo Road, just east of Arizona Avenue. But a 2022 proposal for senior and regular-use apartments never even made it to a public hearing, and last year’s Sonoran Landings senior apartments and mixed-use plan was sent back to Planning and Zoning by the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.

While the senior apartments plan had some support the Valley Interfaith Project and others in favor of more affordable housing, residents of the area pushed back on both proposals, pointing out the traffic and noise concerns already in the area.

Dominium Senior Vice President and Mountain West Development Leader Owen Metz released a statement published by another media outlet.

The statement reads:

“Dominium works tirelessly to improve Arizona’s ongoing housing crisis that is resulting in rents that are out of reach for our essential workforce and seniors on fixed incomes. The only way to solve the issue is to build new housing for all incomes. Arizona’s housing shortage is a challenge in each community in the Valley. It is unfortunate that nearly 300 seniors will not get to call Sonoran Landings in Chandler home and receive much needed housing security and financial relief as well as connections to vital services. We respect the role Democracy played in that process and look forward to continuing to provide quality affordable housing for Arizonans who need it most.”

The outgoing Board of Supervisors unanimously agreed Dec. 11 of last year to continue a zoning application for Dominium’s mixed-use plan.

Even though the county island project isn’t technically inside the Chandler city limits, the land is within Chandler’s planning area and its water planning area.

Jack Sellers, in one of his last acts the outgoing District 1 Supervisor and this year’s chair of the board, urged his fellow board members to allow the developer, Dominium, to resolve other issues before a board vote.

“This has been an emotional issue,” Sellers, a former Chandler City Council member, told the board. “And I really feel that it should be dealt with at the city of Chandler, rather than Maricopa County, so that people on all sides of the issue can have a say in what ultimately happens with the property.”

Sellers said he’s encouraging Chandler to “annex the property” for planning and zoning approvals there, even though that’s a process land owners must initiate in Arizona.

Also, a Dominium attorney told the Chandler City Council in 2022 there weren’t appropriate parcels left within Chandler limits.

The Maricopa County Planning and Zoning Commission, at its Nov. 21, 2024 meeting, made a 6-1 recommendation that the board approve a zoning change application for IND-2 IUPD — a specific type of Maricopa County zoning.

Spike Lawrence, one of the two District 1 Planning and Zoning commissioners and the only one at the Nov. 21 meeting, initially moved for the hearing and recommendation to be scrapped entirely, but no one seconded his motion.

Lawrence was the lone “no” vote at the 6-1 recommendation for approval. The Board of Supervisors isn’t obligated to follow the Commission’s recommendations, but often does so.

The 2024 plan calls for industrial use on slightly more than the northern half of the 25 acres, which is closer to Appleby Road. The southern half would have be a 272-unit age 55-plus senior apartment complex with 399 parking spaces, which would be closer to Ocotillo Road.

The vacant site has been leveled and is north-south-shaped, between a railroad line — which runs directly behind a Target-anchored shopping center — and the Chandler Unified School District Transportation Center and bus yard. There are many established homes in the area, especially along Ocotillo Road.

One of the many stipulations the Planning Commission recommended for approval is that “the developer will serve letters for water and sewer prior to plan of development approval.”

There was significant late-2022 public opposition to Dominium’s plan to place 518 apartments and 938 parking spaces on the site, with some designated as senior housing, in a proposal called The Landings at Ocotillo.

We invite our readers to submit their civil comments on this topic. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org.   Email Jason W. Brooks at jbrooks@iniusa.org.

Jason W. Brooks
News Editor | Chandler Independent

Jason W. Brooks joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in July 2021 as an associate editor. After a year covering Buckeye, he has covered Chandler since the fall of 2022, in addition to assisting the Daily Independent throughout his time at INI.

Education: University of New Mexico, bachelor of arts in journalism and mass communication, print emphasis, English minor.

Random Fact: He and his siblings witnessed a Space Shuttle launch and landing in the same year in person, on opposite coasts.

Hobbies: Karaoke, bicycling and American Sign Language.

Community: He supports animal shelters.