TOO MANY HOMES: Glendale rejects Southwest Valley housing development’s request for higher density

By Mark Carlisle
Twitter: @mwcarlisle

Southwest Valley residents who have been speaking out against a proposed housing development won a victory Thursday night when the Glendale Planning Commission rejected the developer’s request to increase the number of houses allowed on the land.

Allen Ranches is an 865-acre development on county land northwest of Loop 303 and Camelback Road seeking annexation into Glendale. The developer plans 615 acres for industrial, commercial and office use and 250 acres for a housing development. The property is about a mile west of Glendale’s Luke Air Force Base.

Residents on the county land surrounding the Allen Ranches property have railed against the proposal for this housing development, saying the lot sizes and density do not match their rural neighborhoods. Thursday night, the Planning Commission agreed with them.

“I think this area should stay the way it is. The rezoning doesn’t conform to the existing lots in the area,” said Commissioner Warren Wilfong.

The commission rejected a general plan amendment in a 4-3 vote for the 250 acres planned for the housing development that would have increased the maximum density from 2.5 dwelling units per acre to 3.5 units per acre.

The commission passed the rezone for that created a Planned Area Development for the site, allowing for both industrial and residential use. Several commissioners said that while they were voting to allow residential zoning, they were not satisfied with the minimum lot size of 4,600 square feet, suggesting more trouble for the Allen Ranches developers later in the zoning process when they must submit their designs for review.

Mr. Wilfong and Commissioner Martin Nowakowski were the only commissioners to vote against the rezone.

The developers will either need to come back to the commission with another general plan amendment seeking a slightly lower density of homes that the 3.5 units per acre they asked for Thursday or need to reduce the number of homes from 760 to 625 in order to meet the 2.5 unit per acre limit currently in place.

Any approvals by the Planning Commission must also be approved by Glendale City Council and the Council has the authority to overrule a rejection by the commission.

The Allen Ranches developers also face a challenge in the approval of their annexation. Several on City Council have voiced reservations about the housing development being too dense, about having a housing as part of the annexation in general and about creating a city island surrounded by county land.

Thirty-four nearby residents submitted public comment cards to the commission, each opposing the changes before them. A handful of them spoke before the commission prior to their vote, many saying that the density of the planned housing development does not match their rural lifestyles.

“We have a way of life that we all love. That’s why we moved there… You guys are turning it into the city, and it’s sad,” said Michelle Heinbeck.

Some residents have accused the developer and Glendale city officials of caring more about the bottom line and tax dollars to the city than surrounding county residents who aren’t in the city.

One resident, Geraldine Green, attacked Jason Morris, lawyer for Withey Morris representing the property owner, Allen Ranches, LLC, for condensing the homes into a smaller area than had originally been planned.

“What he has done, essentially, is taken all of the homes, compacted them into this high-density housing, forcing it down our throat, forcing it down our throat, and then expanded the industrial footprint to make more money. Because, let’s face it people, that’s what this is about,” Ms. Green said. “…Our property values are sinking down the toilet because of decisions you are making.”

Mr. Nowakowski said the commission needs to consider the surrounding residents whether or not they are Glendale residents.

“The higher density with Luke being right on the other side and all the rural settings and feel, this totally erupts that community,” he said. “And, be it that they’re not in the city of Glendale, we’re not an island. So, we have to think of the whole area as a whole.”

The developers have made concessions to residents. Mr. Morris said the development team held an additional community meeting because of the high community response. Both meetings had to be virtual due to concerns of spreading the coronavirus. In response to public comments at the meetings, the developers reduced the planned number of homes from 780 to 760 and moved the smallest lots to the center of the development, so the development’s bigger lots could serve as a buffer to the existing residential lots nearby.

Several commissioners thanked Mr. Morris for the changes the development team had made but said it wasn’t enough.

“I just think the city of Glendale can do better,” said Commissioner Edwin Nyberg.

Commissioners Wilfong, Nowakowski, Nyberg and Rick Harper voted to reject the general plan amendment that would have allowed for more homes on the land. Chairman Gary Hirsch, Vice Chairman Al Lenox and Commissioner Vern Crow voted to approve the amendment.

The commission also approved a separate general plan amendment relating to the industrial portion of the site, which switched the land designation for 117 acres from residential to industrial.

Mark Carlisle can be reached at [email protected] or found on Twitter @mwcarlisle.