Medical building approved for Queen Creek’s downtown

A two-story, 20,000-square-foot medical building has been given the official OK to go up in the Downtown Core.

The Queen Creek Town Council on Wednesday voted 6-0 in favor of a rezoning request and granted site plan approval for the building being developed by a local family. Vice Mayor Leah Martineau was absent from the meeting.

The project, called The Matheson, will be on a 2-acre lot at the southeast corner of Ocotillo and Ellsworth Loop roads on a vacant lot. The lot has been rezoned from general commercial to Downtown Core.

A public hearing was held before the vote. No members of the public commented on the project.

“We have a very unique vision for our downtown and we’re starting to see that come to fruition more and more,” Mayor Julia Wheatley said. “I’m just so appreciative of this project moving forward and what it brings to our community. We desperately need office space, medical office space, and bringing 20,000 square feet is incredible.”

The site and two other properties south of it were intended to be located within the Downtown Core zoning boundary. However, the properties’ previous owner opted to keep the zoning as general commercial, according to a staff report.

“In the middle of our downtown was this doughnut hole and not only because it was vacant and dirt, but it was the parcel that did not rezone to the Downtown Core with overlay,” Wheatley said. “There’s any number of things that could have developed there, including drive-thrus, things like that. So, bringing this forward, rezoning to the downtown with the downtown core with overlay is exactly what our vision of our downtown is.”

The rezoning request came with a planned-area development overlay that allows for flexibility in development standards. The overlay is required as developers asked for one major exemption to Downtown Core zoning standards.

Office use in the Downtown Core is allowed but limited to a maximum of 3,000 square feet.

“Though the 3,000-square-foot size limit is intended to discourage large medical office uses within the DC zoning district, the project site location lends itself to provide for a larger medical office use while still providing a site design that encourages and supports a downtown setting as well as promoting pedestrian scale,” according to a staff report.

The project will be bordered to the north by the under construction $120 million The Switchyard project, Brakes Plus to the south, Queen Creek Office Park to the east and a Popeye’s to the west.

The Switchyard is a $120 million multiuse project on the northeast corner of Ellsworth Loop and Ocotillo Road that is 10 acres with 54,000 square feet of restaurant, retail and office space, plus a 215-residence luxury apartment community. It is on land formerly owned by the town and construction recently started on the first phase.

The medical building is being developed by the Matheson family of Queen Creek. Alex Matheson is a dentist and member of the Queen Creek Planning & Zoning Commission.

“There’s nothing that makes my heart sing more than when a local business feels the need to grow and they do it right here in our community,” Council Member Robin Benning said. “To go from your Queen Creek Medical Office Park to your own building, that just speaks volumes of your commitment to community.”

The Queen Creek Planning & Zoning Commission approved a recommendation for the site plan and rezoning on July 23. The motion passed 5-0. Chair David Gillette was not present, and Matheson recused himself due to a conflict of interest.

The council also praised the design of the building which will blend mid-century modern with the desert landscape.

“The mid-century design is something unique to Queen Creek, and I think that we’re all going to be glad that instead of seeing a dirt lot in that area, (we’re going) to see such a beautiful development,” Council Member Travis Padilla said.

The project will provide pedestrian connectivity through sidewalks along Ellsworth Loop and Ocotillo roads. It will be adjacent to Ocotillo Road with the main entrance on the building’s south side facing its parking lot.

The second floor will include an outdoor deck on the north and south sides, with the southwest corner deck covered. The covered deck will also provide shade to the area below on the first floor.

Along with providing landscaping, the developer will be building three decorative screen walls along Ellsworth Loop Road that will have art patterns depicting “fauna native to Queen Creek,” the staff report continued.

“It’s a beautiful project and it really does complement the Downtown Core and what we’re trying to achieve there,” Council Member Bryan McClure said. “I just want to thank the Matheson family for their continued investment in our community.”

Please send your comments about this article to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines. Janet Perez can be reached at jperez@iniusa.org.