A 129-lot gated townhome subdivision with a homeowners association is to be constructed at the northeast corner of South Acacia Road and East Southern Avenue in Apache Junction.
The city’s planning and zoning commission on March 24 voted 4-3 to recommend council approve rezoning the property and a minor general plan amendment to modify a commercial land use designation to high-density residential. It directs city staff to work with the developer to examine changing an entrance/exit point from Acacia to Starr Road. Dissenting were Commissioners Ari Kalan, Jesse Gage and Roy Starr.
“I’m going to vote ‘yes,’ but I do have concerns with traffic,” Chair Dave Hantzsche said in voting.
“I also have concerns with traffic but I do think that the development has great possibilities, so ‘yes,” Vice Chair Robin Barker said in voting.
“‘Yes,’ because I am confident that they will work well with the city and the changes,” Commissioner Sandra Mykland said in voting.
Brennan Ray of Ray Law Firm, representing Diamante Homes Inc., is asking for the rezoning from high-density multiple-family residential by planned development, general commercial and general rural low-density single-family detached residential to high-density multiple-family residential by planned development with a new planned development overlay to authorize the development.
Three color schemes and a couple different elevation types are planned on the 7.96-acre property just west of Goldfield Road, Principal Planner Nicholas Leftwich told the commission.
“The townhomes ... are all subdivided lots but they are alley-loaded units with two-car garages. There is adequate guest parking on-site for surface parking. The applicant is proposing to have a guest house with a pool, playground, parks, some green space and a trail system as on-site amenities, a pickleball court. Primary access would be off of Acacia. There is an egress/exit on Southern,” he said.
Acacia does not enter the property from the north, said Ray, representing Diamante Homes.
“As you know, access to this site is very limited. Acacia does not punch through to the north and it will not punch through, at least not in connection with our development,” he said.
Green-space areas in the development are primarily for directing stormwater from Old West Highway.
“There is significant drainage that is coming off of Old West Highway that really impacts the viability and developability of the site, so that when you look at this site while it is a pretty green space running through the middle, what that really is is huge amounts of retention. A huge volume of retention with retaining walls and all of that to take care of that because we are responsible for that on-site flow and we have to channelize it and that’s what all that green-space improvement is,” Ray said.
The units’ design recalls a traditional farmhouse style to reinforce the western character found throughout Apache Junction, it states in a written project narrative.
Each of the townhomes is to have an attached two-car garage and a three-bed, two-bath layout, it states.
“By integrating the garage, the site is able to avoid large surface parking areas that would detract from the community and city character. Different unit types and materials are used so that, while there is consistency, there is also variation to provide visual interest,” it states. “Some units ... feature accents where a specific color will be used, each color signifying a ‘neighborhood’ within the development. This will also provide visual interest while providing a helpful wayfinding tool for new residents and visitors.”
Richard H. Dyer can be reached at rdyer@iniusa.org, or on X @rhdyer. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines, https://www.yourvalley.net/civility-checklist/.
Meet Richard Richard Dyer has worked at Independent Newsmedia Inc. USA since 1987, starting his career in Apache Junction as a copy editor and being promoted over the years to work as the editor of the Mesa Independent, news services editor for the East Valley office in Apache Junction, managing editor for the East Valley office, news services editor for the East Valley office and eventually also for the newspapers at INI’s then-Chandler office, managing editor again and as a news editor covering Apache Junction/Gold Canyon and Queen Creek. He helped start the Florence Independent while the news editor covering Apache Junction and Mesa news. In January 2023, he became associate managing editor for the East Valley newspapers and in August 2023 became managing editor for the East Valley newspapers of Chandler/Tempe, Gilbert, Queen Creek, Florence, Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon, while also reporting on Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon.
Community: Since 2009, he has worked as a volunteer to design The Blue Guitar Magazine, Blue Guitar Jr. magazine and Unstrung magazine, which are projects of The Arizona Consortium for the Arts; and since 2014, has been overseeing the art submissions.
Education: University of Arizona with a master of arts in journalism and a bachelor of science in agricultural communication. Also continuing education at Mesa Community College in welding in a metal art sculpture class.
Random fact: Saw his first tornado on May 31, 2010, which was classified as an EF-2, as part of a stormchasing tour group.
Hobbies: He is an artist of welded-steel sculptures, selling his artwork at juried and non-juried art shows.
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