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County Supers table hearings on large developments

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PHOENIX — With a busy development agenda at its Wednesday meeting, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors approved five items and tabled three others.

The board approved, without discussion, its planning consent agenda. That included changes for three solar panel facilities in the southwest part of the county, a landscape materials storage and sales facility and a 246-unit multi-family housing development on a county island in the northern Peoria area.

The board decided to table both items slated for full planning and zoning hearings at the meeting. Two of the hearings were zoning change requests for the third 770-unit phase of the White Tanks Foothills master-planned community, which has a 1,746-unit maximum and is located just southwest of the Northern Parkway-State Route 303 interchange.

The other hearing is for a major comprehensive plan amendment to allow 3.5 duplex units per acre at Santa Barbara Ranch, a development located between U.S. 60 and State Route 74 in the Morristown area between Surprise and Wickenburg.

Bill Lally, an attorney representing the landowner of Santa Barbara Ranch, said he has worked closely with the city of Surprise for about six months. The 1,000-acre property is about four miles from the Surprise city limits, putting it at the outer limits of reach of the nearest municipal police and fire service.

“We already have a problem with density in far-flung areas that are far from police and fire,” Supervisor Clint Hickman said. “The applicant knows my concerns. I am great with growth, but the right kind of growth — where I can feel good about the amount and proximity of fire and police support in the area.”

At its Nov. 14 meeting, the Maricopa County Planning and Zoning Commission recommended denial of the Santa Barbara Ranch application by a 5-1 vote. It had one letter of support and 53 documents of opposition.

Lally said Surprise’s utilities and planning staff members support the proposal. He said he will continue to meet with that city’s staff to coordinate and develop a more complete plan.

The Santa Barbara Ranch item was continued to the board’s May 22, 2022 meeting.

Regarding White Tanks Foothills, Hickman said he believed the planned density of about 10 duplex units per acre on the 25-acre property is too high. The developer is requesting a zoning change from rural to planned-development zoning, and though some community meetings have taken place, there is more work to do.

Brennan Ray, an attorney for the White Tanks Foothills landowner, requested a continuance to the Jan. 26 board meeting, which was granted. He said there has been much discussion with area residents in the unique area, which includes some larger lots and Phase 1 of White Tank Foothills.

“We’re going to go back and see what we can do better,” Ray said.

“I’ve heard from both the applicant and the residents, loud and clear,” Hickman responded. “Many of these homeowners bought their homes many, many years ago. Airman from Luke Air Force Base are coming out here and finding no affordable housing. But the solution to affordable housing is not to sock it all into White Tank Foothills, Phase 3.”

Hickman said the interaction between residents and the developer will be a good test case for new District 2 Supervisor, Thomas Galvin, to witness, as the two sides try to find a solution.

“Hopefully, Brennan can get us most of the way there (to lower density),” Hickman said. “We won’t have Utopia. But the density is just too high. Brennan knows this. There has been enough people upset with this to make it a super-majority vote (at the Planning and Zoning Commission).”