Gilbert Town Council will consider two major land use proposals tied to the expansive Harvest Grove development near Val Vista Drive and Queen Creek Road at its Oct. 28 meeting.
The first proposal seeks approval for a minor general plan amendment and rezoning of a 12.05-acre parcel at the northeast corner of Val Vista and Queen Creek Roads. The applicant aims to change the land use designation from low-density residential to neighborhood commercial, paving the way for a future neighborhood shopping center.
This site is adjacent to the larger Harvest Grove Planned Area Development, which is under separate review. The Gilbert Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval of this proposal on Sept. 10.
The second proposal involves a 311.84-acre master-planned community that would include a mix of residential and commercial uses.
The applicant is requesting a general plan amendment to reclassify 179.37 acres to various residential densities and regional commercial use.
The rezoning request would shift the entire site from single-family zoning to a combination of multifamily, single-family attached and detached, and commercial districts, allowing for 1,739 dwelling units with an overall density of 5.64 units per acre.
Town staff have recommended denial of the larger Harvest Grove PAD, citing concerns about traffic circulation, safety and inconsistency with the Santan Character Area vision. Specific issues include limited access points, potential cut-through traffic near Perry High School and deviations from the town’s transportation master plan.
Despite these concerns, the Planning Commission voted 4-2 in favor of recommending approval of the proposal.
Both items are scheduled for discussion during the council’s regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 28.
Additionally, council will consider a motion to remove Dave Rosenfeld as a member of the Veterans Advisory Board. Councilmember Monte Lyons, who is the liaison to the board, accused Rosenfeld of making public allegations and threats toward council members and staff and called for his removal from the board.
That item was continued from the Oct. 14 meeting.
Council also will consider a code amendment that will allow concrete pouring to begin at construction sites at 4 a.m., one hour before activity is typically allowed. That is to comply with a new state law.
Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines. Tom Blodgett can be reached by email at tblodgett@iniusa.org or follow him @sp_blodgett on X.
Meet Tom Tom Blodgett joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2022, when the company acquired Community Impact Newspaper's Phoenix-area properties. Raised in Arizona, he has spent more than 35 years in journalism in the state.
Community: He has served as an instructional professional in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication since 2005, and is editorial adviser to The State Press, the university's independent student media outlet. He also is director of operations for an 18U girls fastpitch softball team from Gilbert.
Education: Arizona State University with a BS in Journalism.
Random Fact: He lived in Belgium during his freshman year of high school.
Hobbies: Tweeting enthusiastically about ASU softball (season-ticket holder) and grumpily about other local sports (pessimistic fan).
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