A two-decades-long quest to put a development into the heart of Cooley Station came to fruition April 18 as Gilbert Town Council approved a vertical mixed-use project at Recker and Williams Field roads.
Council approved by a 6-0 vote a major general plan amendment and a zoning change that will allow The District at Cooley Station to move forward on 15 acres at the intersection’s northwest corner.
The development would include:
612 apartment units in two four-story building clusters;
About 25,500 square feet of free-standing retail/commercial shop space with second story office/residential space;
About 13,500 square feet of non-residential public space on the ground floor along the Williams Field Road and Recker Road frontages of the two-building clusters that may include fitness center, neighborhood convenience retail store and workspace;
And interior clubhouse and amenity areas for each residential building.
The development also includes a “wrap” feature that would be new to Gilbert, with parking garages for the apartments that start underground but allow residents to park on the level on which they live, said Sean Lake, the attorney representing applicant Kaplan Multifamily.
He also touted the project for its energy and water efficiency, both of which he said are part of all Kaplan projects, and the fact that it gives discounts to police officers and firefighters to live there.
“We think this is a great project that will help carry forward that vision that the Cooleys have had for this property and the town has had over the many decades that the site has been being worked on,” Lake said.
Mayor Brigette Peterson and Council Member Scott Anderson pointed to the long history of the area in trying to bring dense development there. Peterson, who was a member of the Gilbert Planning Commission before first being elected to council, and Anderson, once the town’s planning director, said this plan reflects that long-held vision.
“I can be very simple: This meets the intent of the original Cooley Station master plan,” Anderson said. “I'm good with it.”
The plans also won approval from two new council members who had campaigned against apartments.
Council Member Bobbi Buchli asked a number of questions about the plans, including how many units were included as it will be one of the largest apartment complexes in town. But she said she really likes the project.
“I have obviously my thoughts about all the apartments and everything,” Buchli said. My big thing was where they're located … that they should be located in the right place, which to me these appear to be because they're surrounded in like properties, which is where it should be located.”
Chuck Bongiovanni said he wanted his first zoning change case to be a “horrible” case but that he liked the presentation and believed the project matched Gilbert’s values.
The third new member who had opposed apartments in his campaign, Jim Torgeson, recused himself from the discussion and vote for a conflict of interest that he did not disclose.
Vice Mayor Kathy Tilque and Council Member Yung Koprowski indicated they liked the project, but both said they wanted to be assured the planned commercial portions of the project were developed as close to when the multifamily is developed.
Lake said the market conditions really would determine that but indicated Kaplan was offering retail real estate company Vestar substantial incentives to bring the development’s retail portion to market as soon as possible.
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).
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