On Wednesday, March 9, the Queen Creek Planning & Zoning Commission approved Vineyard Towne Center’s Phase One site plan and preliminary plat based on a staff recommendation.
The approval is needed to facilitate the development of Vineyard Towne Center, anchored by a 23,000-square-foot Sprouts on a 12.1-acre site.
"Directly north of the site is where the future Phase Two of this Vineyard Towne Center project will be," said Steven Ester, Planner II for the town. "A little bit farther north beyond that it turns into Pinal County's jurisdiction with rural residential lots on the east side of the project. ... Jumping to the south, it's immediately bound by Combs Road and the Fry's retail center, also within Pinal County's jurisdiction."
Vestar proposed a total of approximately 76,756 square feet of commercial uses for Phase One that will include the Sprouts, three inline retail shops buildings and five drive-thru restaurant pad sites. The total project when completed will be approximately 260,000 square feet.
So far, only Sprouts has been announced as a tenant of Vineyard Town Center. The current Sprouts in Queen Creek is at 21181 S. Ellsworth Loop Road.
According to the staff report, the proposed development is considered a large format retail center, which is defined as a single-user retail structure in excess of 50,000 square feet or any shopping center in excess of 25,000 square feet. As a result, the development is required to comply with the large format retail standards, which include:
Enhanced entry features
Enhanced pedestrian connectivity
The incorporation of plazas, gathering areas, and shaded walkways
Enhanced buffering adjacent to residential uses
Staff also concluded the proposed site plan, building elevations and landscape plans conform with the zoning ordinance large format retail standards.
Access to the new retail center is provided at two points along Combs Road and three points along Gantzel Road.
“On Combs Road, both entries are designed for full turning movements in and out of the development. Along Gantzel Road, the two most northern accesses are planned for full turning movements as well, but the third entrance closest to the intersection will be limited to right-turn in, right-turn out only ingress and egress,” the staff report stated.
In coordination with future road design expectations conveyed by Pinal County, the developer has agreed to dedicate additional right-of-way along the southbound approach of Gantzel Road to the arterial intersection to allow for an added right-turn lane when warranted at a later date.
Vestar asked the commission to approve its deviation from town standards for the number of required parking stalls with this development phase. The town’s parking calculations warrant a total of 625 spaces to be provided at 10-foot by 20-foot in size. Pinal County required 437 spaces and allowed for the spaces to be 9-foot by 19-foot. Vestar is proposing 484 spaces, including 449 regular spaces in a 10-foot by 20-foot site, 13 compact spaces and 22 ADA spaces.
To support its request, Vestar provided a parking study comparing parking ratios across similar Valley retail developments in Queen Creek, Chandler and Mesa. The developer reported approximately 40% of the town’s required parking amount would be used on site during peak hours based on current conditions, ride sharing and online shopping trends. This equates to 250 parking spaces needed at the busiest time of day, leaving an additional 234 spaces available.
“It is important to note that planning staff is currently in the process of reviewing the town’s parking calculations based on market demand, which is anticipated to potentially result in a reduction to overall parking stall count requirements,” according to the staff report.
As far as pedestrian circulation is concerned, the site provides 8-foot-wide sidewalks along Combs and Gantzel Roads and incorporates multiple points of access from the roads into and around the development. Cast concrete seat walls, concrete pots and decoratively paved areas are provided to encourage gathering areas and guide pedestrian connectivity.
The zoning ordinance requires commercial uses to provide 15% (79,162 square feet) of open space, where this development provides a total of 23.4% (123,280 square feet. The area also will be landscaped.
In addition, parking lot screen walls will be provided along Combs and Gantzel roads to screen parking areas and drive-thru lanes from the public right of way.
“The wall design incorporates brick veneer, stucco, painted steel and a concrete cap to complement the building materials used in the center, while also meeting the zoning ordinance requirements for arterial screen walls,” the staff report stated.
When Vestar announced the developments, including one in Peoria, the company stated construction of Vineyard Towne Center would begin in early 2022, with completion set for the end of the year.
Queen Creek Crossing is a planned 31-acre property featuring 300,000 square feet of retail. Groundbreaking is planned for June, with an opening set for March 2023. Located at the northwest corner of Ellsworth Road and Queen Creek Road, Costco will anchor the project, which will feature a mix of retail and dining.
“We have seen a resurgence of retail like never before,” said Vestar President and COO David Larcher at the time the centers were announced. “Customer traffic, sales and leasing activity are stronger than pre-pandemic levels. These developments will not only bring more jobs, needed services and entertainment to the Queen Creek and Peoria areas, but will also give our tenants the chance to capitalize on the unprecedented growth these communities are experiencing and where the retail infrastructure has not kept pace.”
The centers — including The Shops at Lake Pleasant in Peoria — total more than 650,000 square feet of retail space at a combined development cost of nearly $90 million. Before announcing these new centers, Vestar had not built a new retail shopping center in 13 years.
Janet Perez News Editor | Queen Creek &
San Tan Valley @AzNewsmedia
Meet Janet Janet Perez joined Independent Newsmedia as editor of the Queen Creek Independent and Florence Independent in 2020. She started her career in 1989 with the Gannett-owned El Paso Times. In 1992, she moved to Tempe and has worked in newspapers, magazines, radio and television. She left Arizona for three years to work at New Mexico State University and Baylor University before returning to work at Arizona State University. Missing the business, she went back to journalism in 2017.
Community: A long-time pet owner, she supports animal welfare causes.
Education: University of Texas at El Paso with a BA in journalism and a minor in political science.
Random Fact: She had a head full of random facts.
Hobbies: Reading, watching documentaries, cooking and playing with her dogs.
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