More than a decade ago, Coolidge mapped out a large housing plan, Landmark Ranch, in the west portion of the city between Ninth Street and Kenworthy Road.
Although 200 homes were built before the Great Recession, it has taken until now for developers to begin building out homes in the second parcel.
During the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting on Feb. 10, the commission approved a “re-subdivision” of the second parcel, incorporating newer housing designs into the planning documents.
Some of the requested adjustments included an extended lot depth and a change to the rear yard setback to accommodate larger housing models than what was originally designed in 2005.
“We’re pretty excited about starting to see some of the plats we had before pick back up,” Development Services Director Gilbert Lopez said. Lopez said that was in part because the city had the inventory of lots ready to be built upon already. A similar revival of “zombie” subdivisions has taken place in Casa Grande.
Regional Manager Price Nosky, who represented developer Walton Global at the meeting, said the company was in discussions with Arizona Water Company on what the next steps could be for the property.
“We are excited about the opportunity to get back into Coolidge and bring some development,” Nosky said. “These lots just got a lot more valuable, and a lot more interesting, so we want to make sure we hit the market at the right time so builders can keep coming out to Coolidge.”
The plan still calls for 195 new homes, and the roads are expected to be in the same place. Outside of Landmark Ranch, Lopez said that the city had processed 120 housing permits in January and a masterplan for 51 plots across from Carter Ranch that would fill out a vacant area.
Lopez said he expected to see construction in the Landmark parcel sometime in March, after the City Council approves the zoning commission’s adjustments.