After scores of Queen Creek residents feared a proposed housing project would strain water and worsen traffic, their local leaders relented and voted it down.
The Town Council voted 3-2 Oct. 7 to deny a request to rezone commercial land to allow a 150-unit single family and duplex rental housing development just east of the intersection of Power Road and Germann Road.
Mayor Julia Wheatley joined Councilmembers Robin Benning and Jeff Brown opposing the project. Vice Mayor Bryan McClure and Councilmember Leah Martineau voted to support it.
Councilmember Dawn Oliphant wasn't present. Councilmember Travis Padilla tried to participate remotely, but ran into technical difficulties.
Representatives for South-Carolina-based developer Greystar said the proposed
community would be an improvement on the current empty lot that has sat vacant for more than 20-years.
Residents said the development would add traffic, require more water and close the door on the possibility of commercial development at the site.
The town received 85 letters and emails either opposing or supporting the project, Town Planner Les Johnson told the council, noting 59 were opposed compared to 26 in support.
Not Queen Creek's first rodeo
The proposal comes two years after the town council rejected a 340-unit apartment project on the same plot of land, citing similar concerns about water, growth and traffic.
“What has fundamentally changed since your previous opposition?” asked Joe Kolnick, a 20-year resident of the adjacent Cortina neighborhood.
Kolnick argued the land should stay commercially zoned pointing to the potential for sales tax revenue and new local businesses.
He also argued the town needs to prioritize its water security rather than growth. He pointed to Queen Creek's investments in water from the Harquahala Valley, and noted the town is debating a new water fee to pay for the resource.
"This is not about opposing growth," Kolnick said. "It's about responsible growth, respecting the general plan and preserving opportunities that cannot easily be recovered once they're gone.”
The developer makes his pitch
Attorney Brennen Ray, representing Greystar, argued the rental home community proposal was an upgrade over the previously proposed apartment complex.
The development would be a gated community and included a pool, clubhouse, and dog park, Ray told the council.
While the community is for rent, it lives, breathes and acts like a single-family community, Ray said
He also pointed to a 2003 agreement between nearby retailers and a former property owner limiting the kind of commercial uses that can be developed on the property.
That agreement bars hardware stores, fast food restaurants, and anything else that could directly compete with the nearby Home Depot and CVS.
In 2021, commercial real estate firm JLL had actively marketed the site to 30 retail and mixed-use tenants, Ray said, adding that none were interested.
The property sat vacant since at least 2000, according to Google Earth satellite imagery.
Ray also argued the proposed housing development would bring less traffic than the most intense commercial use allowed under Queen Creek's current zoning rules.
Data from a city traffic study showed the proposed housing development could have added as many as 70 additional vehicles trips during morning and evening rush hour.
"We certainly will generate more traffic than a vacant piece of dirt," Ray said.
He presented data showing the most intense commercial development allowed under the land's current zoning would add roughly 90% more traffic than the proposed housing development.
Queen Creek residents speak out
Victoria Obenour, who also lives in the nearby Cortina neighborhood, pushed back on Ray's arguments traffic and commercial viability.
“There are things in there that do not require a lot of traffic," she said.
Obenour said she knew of three therapists who were forced to set up shop in Chandler after failing to find space in Queen Creek.
Obenour also expressed opposition to more rental properties, arguing the town has enough rentals in the area already.
"It is zoned for commercial. It needs to stay commercial. Just because you can put lipstick on a pig doesn't mean you should," she said.
Not all the speakers at the Oct. 7 meeting were opposed to the project.
Liz Robinson, who co-owns Ted's Shooting Range just east of the proposed development, said having homes back up to her business would provide more security than the current empty lot.
Robinson noted she was against the original apartment complex plan, but changed her mind when she saw the plan for new single-family housing.
“As a business owner who has watched kids hop my fence for the last 10 years, I'm thrilled to see that I'll have a back neighbor with a backyard against my building,” she said.
How the Queen Creek Town Council voted
Members of the town council were split on the proposal.
Councilmember Robin Benning initially said he was leaning towards approving the project, but ultimately voted against it.
He agreed the development was better than the prior apartment complex proposal, but struggled to support Graystar's plan, given the overwhelming opposition from residents.
"I do feel like we're elected and my job is to represent the residents," he said, noting that his email inbox had been flooded with messages from residents opposing the project.
Councilmember Leah Martineau said it was a hard decision but ultimately voted in favor saying the project would be good for the area.
The developer is proposing a project that's more than half the units of the prior apartment project proposal, and the lot has been sitting empty for a long time, she said.
Vice Mayor McClure said he appreciated residents' concerns, but said there wasn't sufficient evidence to suggest that having a housing development on the site would cause the community harm.
"We should give property owners the freedom to decide what to build on their land," he said. “I feel like voting no on this project would be government overreach.”
Councilmember Jeff Brown said the project did not meet his standard for changing the existing zoning.
"I don't vote in favor of things just simply because they wouldn't do any harm. I want them to be far and above what the underlying and current situation is,” he said.
Brown acknowledged that supporting the project would go against the expressed will of residents.
"We’re really setting ourselves up for the pitchfork‑type town council meetings where the chambers will be packed with people that say, ‘Apparently you didn’t hear me,’” he said.
Mayor Wheatley acknowledged the project was better than prior proposals, but questioned whether Queen Creek should give up on commercial development on the vacant lot.
“Just because it's a dirt lot today doesn't mean it's necessarily unmarketable," she said.
She said approving the project would send mixed signals to residents at a time when the town has put water security and responsible growth as priorities.
"We need to practice what we're preaching," she said.
Reporter Harrison Mantas, who covers Mesa, Gilbert, Queen Creek and San Tan Valley, can be reached at hmantas@azcentral.com. Follow him on X @HarrisonMantas or Instagram @harrisonmantas
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Outraged residents convince AZ town leaders to snub rental housing
