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Paloma Creek annexation to bring more homes to Surprise

Posted 9/15/19

By Jason Stone, INDEPENDENT NEWSMEDIA

The northern part of Surprise keeps growing.

The City Council agreed Sept. 5 to approve a preliminary plat for the Paloma Creek housing development, while …

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Paloma Creek annexation to bring more homes to Surprise

Posted

The northern part of Surprise keeps growing.

The City Council agreed Sept. 5 to approve a preliminary plat for the Paloma Creek housing development, while at the same meeting annexing just more than 200 acres of land and rezoning it for the homes.

The development will bring 542 homes to the area in the northeast corner of 163rd Avenue and Happy Valley Road, on land boarding the Desert Oasis and Asante developments. It’s also south of the future Marisol Ranch and Lone Mountain developments the city approved earlier this year.

The plan is calling for about 100 lots less than originally proposed. The rezoning was capped at five units per acre, but home builders asked for just under four per acre, which pleased councilmembers.

“From my standpoint this is a big improvement,” Mayor Skip Hall said before the Council consecutively approved the three separate items – annexation, rezoning and preliminary plant – at the same meeting.

The city first voted to move forward on the annexation process last November, and the City Council held public meetings in February and August with no objections.

Before approving the three items, a few of the councilmembers express concerned about the lack of a community pool requirement, which has been a trend in the recent master-planned communities it had approved in the last few months.

In fact, with so many developments receiving waivers lately, the Surprise Planning and Zoning Commission last month asked city staff to look further into the trend, so the city won’t be stuck building expensive community pools all over the city.

City Planner Robert Kuhfuss said city staff plans to give the City Council a full presentation on the community pool issue in October.

For the Paloma Creek project, however, the city decided to raise the minimum width of the lots from 40 to 45 feet to allow more space for pools in backyards.

“It’s really hard to put a pool in this skinny lot with a narrow backyard,” Mr. Kuhfuss said of the 40-foot lots.

Roads top the list of concerns for nearby residents with homes planned faster than some current residents would like to see -- considering many roads are either still dirt or two lanes at the most after the first portion of 163rd Avenue off Grand Avenue.

City Planner Joshua Mike said eventually there will be four ways in and out of the area, two along 163rd Avenue to the north and south and two along the future Happy Valley Road alignment.

William Lyons homes is working on its portion of the extension from the Rancho Mercado development to 163rd Avenue.

District 3 Councilman Patrick Duffy said he wants the city to keep an eye on the Rancho Mercado project in case the construction slows down for any reasons.

“Can we stay on top of it, so we don’t run into this problem where let’s say they’re not going to do it this year?” Mr. Duffy asked city staff.

Assistant Community Development Director Lloyd Abrams said the homebuilder is moving as fast as it can on the project.

“They’re still in the process of trying to acquire the rest of the right of way to make the connection,” Mr. Abrams said. “They have all their plans approved. I see no reason for them to delay.”

Bill Lally of Tiffany & Bosco, who was representing the applicants for Paloma Creek, called the road issues “growing pains.”

“We’ve got some subdivisions that are going, some that are planned, some that are half-going, but eventually it’ll all be built out and you’ll have a master-planned circulation system that’s going to work,” Mr. Lally told the Council. “We’re just in the growing pains right now of all the puzzle pieces being approved.”

Flooding is also an issue that is a big concern to residents in the area. One man who spoke in front of the Council told it looks “like an ocean” two or three times a year.

Nearby county resident Leticia Sanchez implored the City Council to look further into the decision to annex before its vote.

“Your actions do have consequences on us, so please don’t disregard all of what we’re saying just because we’re county,” Ms. Sanchez said. “The flooding is going to get to , too.

Gail Lith, who owns a property at 158th Avenue and Prickly Pear Trail, said she’s worried about the safety of homeowners in the adjacent county area who ride horses and other animals in the area.

Councilman Ken Remley, who serves District 4, said he’s concerned residents who own horses will become too close to the planned homes.

Mr. Lally reminded the City Council that a previous Supreme Court decision ruled that any current county land use is not going to be impacted by a new city subdivision.

One resident favored setting aside an acre for a common arena, so “we don’t have to travel around to meet each other.”

Ms. Sanchez also spoke out about the development’s lack of forward-thinking ideas.

“I don’t see any environmental things that are being planned here,” Ms. Sanchez said. “I don’t see any solar power. I don’t see anything that’s going to progress to the future.

“Were ‘Storm Ready,’ but I don’t think were climate change ready, which I would think would be a main factor for Surprise.”

Jason Stone can be reached at 623-445-2805, on email at jstone@newszap.com or on Twitter at @thestonecave.

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