Luxury townhomes in Goodyear may be halted due to traffic, fire concerns

By Madeline Ackley Salazar
Twitter: @Mkayackley

A proposed development of luxury townhomes near Sarival Avenue and Portland Street may be halted because of concerns about increased traffic and fire safety issues.

The proposed development, which is zoned agricultural-urban, has been dubbed The Cleveland and was brought before Goodyear’s Planning and Zoning Commission Wednesday, Feb. 16. 

The current land is made up of two strip-like parcels, with one single-family home on the property once belonging to Earl "Butch" Griffith Rhodes, a judge, farmer and former Avondale city magistrate who died in January 2019. 

Now, Scottsdale-based developer Porter Kyle is asking the city to rezone the 6.23-acre site to multifamily, allowing for no more than 112 units to be built at the location. 

The townhomes would be two-story luxury apartments marketed toward “higher-income earners,” said Taylor Earl, a lawyer representing the developer.  

“We know that multifamily is needed…that we need to have some degree of density,” Earl said, adding that Goodyear has successfully attracted employers, but needs to improve its housing stock. 

Commissioners praised the sleek design but raised other concerns that could prevent the development from materializing.

The main sticking point is that plans allow for only one entry and exit point onto Sarival Avenue and provide no access to Portland Street. 

If plans move forward as is, anyone entering or exiting the property must take a right-hand turn, and at least one family living in an adjacent neighborhood fear this will encourage illegal U-turns and increased traffic in neighborhoods.

Cynthia and René Robles live directly across the street from the would-be townhomes and spoke in opposition to the development in front of the commission on Wednesday. 

“I think this is going to create a huge issue,” Cynthia Robles said, adding Sarival Avenue is already choked with traffic that often blocks the existing property’s driveway when cars are stopped at a nearby traffic light. 

“To add another…community full of people getting onto Sarival is just going to be a nightmare,” she said. 

Both the Robles’ and commissioners stated they would be more comfortable if the property included access to Portland Street – but the strip of land separating the property from the road belongs to Canyon Trails HOA, which were not receptive to the idea of allowing a road to cut through their property. 

Another issue is fire safety. 

Commissioner Jason Kish questioned why the property is exempt from requiring more than one exit and entry point. 

Senior City Planner Christian Williams explained the development is one unit shy of having to include that second access point. 

In response, Earl said the company initially planned to develop significantly more units, but scrapped those plans when it became apparent another access point would be necessary.

“We believe it is safe at this location,” Earl said. “From a zoning perspective, we believe our request is appropriate.”

Despite that, the commission voted to require access to Portland Street, a move Earl said put the development “in a tough spot.”

The rezone must now go before the Goodyear City Council, which may choose to abandon the stipulation, allowing the project to move forward as planned.

Madeline Ackley Salazar can be reached at mackley@iniusa.org or found on Twitter @Mkayackley.