Developers asking to allow rentals at proposed Queen Creek townhome community

The developers of a proposed townhome community at the northeast corner of Sossaman and Rittenhouse roads will be asking the Queen Creek Town Council to allow rental-home properties.

The council will be considering the issue during its Wednesday meeting. The project has been in limbo since Dec. 4, 2024, after representatives for the owner, Arcus Private Capital Solutions, asked for an indefinite continuance “in order to evaluate ongoing water restrictions for the development,” a staff report states.

In June 2023, the council voted to rezone the 16.5-acre site from commercial to medium-density residential to allow for the development of Rittenhouse Commons 2, a 166-lot, single-family, for-sale townhome community.

“Approval of the amendment would allow the project to proceed with the residential units being available for either ownership or rental occupancy,” the report continues.

Surrounding the site of the proposed development is the Cortina subdivision to the west, the Union Pacific Railroad and several industrial sites to the north and east, rural residential lots within Maricopa County to the south and the Mayberry multifamily residential development to the southeast.

The land was annexed by the town and rezoned commercial in 2016 to allow for a planned development that included a gas station. The project did not come to fruition.

The single-family, attached two-story townhouse units will be constructed within 41 buildings, providing three-plex, four-plex, and five-plex clusters. Two different floorplans will be offered that range from 1,710 to 1,800 square feet.

More than 7 acres of open space will make up the development and will contain features such as a swimming pool, barbecue area, ramadas, pickleball and cornhole courts, and a main clubhouse area.

The developers have held three community meetings on the project since August 2024, with the last — focusing on the amendment — on May 27.

A handful of area residents attended the meetings and voiced concerns about increased traffic, the report states. On June 7, one resident wrote an email to the town opposing the project.

“We were told that this project was a plus for the community as it would (have) allowed first-time buyers to access home ownership. I find it particularly disappointing now to force a change … to a leasing community,” Melanie Parker wrote, “I ask the town council to consider the need for our town to have entry-level home ownership.”

The council meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. at the Community Chambers, 20727 E. Civic Parkway.

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