Summary:
Tiffany & Bosco P.A. on behalf of Shea Homes, who is working in partnership with homebuilders Lennar and Toll Brothers, is requesting approval of a Rezoning to establish a new Planned Area Development (PAD). The PAD will facilitate the development of up to 655 single-family residential lots on a 280-acre site, generally located south of Lone Mountain Road and the 135th Avenue alignment near Vistancia.
Site Location and Area Context:
The subject site consists of a pocket of undeveloped land near Vistancia that was recently auctioned off by the Arizona State Land Department (ASLD). From a regional perspective, the site is bounded by Lone Mountain Road to the north, a designated arterial. Along the southern boundary of the site is the Dixileta Drive alignment, also a designated arterial roadway. Both roadways will eventually provide connectivity to State Trust Land to the west and the City of Surprise. Through the center of the site is the 135th Avenue alignment, a designated arterial roadway. This segment will provide access between Lone Mountain Road and Ridgeline Road.
The proposed development abuts both vacant land as well as existing single-family residential communities. The Vistancia master planned community borders the subject development along the north and eastern edges. Trilogy West, Haciendas at White Peak, Haciendas 5, and the Cowley entitlements are located south and east of the subject site. Further to the west is a vast area of undeveloped State Trust land. The site is an irregularly shaped parcel that contains an isolated hillside area at the northeastern end of the site, and wash corridors that traverse the property from northwest to southeast.
Entitlement History:
The subject site was annexed into the city in 1994 and assigned Suburban Ranch (SR-43) zoning pursuant to State Statute. The General Plan Land Use designation on the site has maintained a residential disposition since its incorporation into the City’s Planning Area, and currently contains designations of Traditional Residential (2-5 du/ac) and Estate Density Residential (0-2 du/ac) along with Park/Open Space which cover the washes that traverse the property.
State Land Background:
The Arizona State Land Department (ASLD) manages approximately 9.2 million acres of State Trust Land (or “State Land”) statewide. Trust land is not “public land”, yet it is often erroneously associated with public lands reserved for recreation and open space, such as national parks or forests. Trust lands are managed and eventually leased or sold to generate revenue for its 13 beneficiaries, with Arizona’s K-12 schools (“common schools”) as the largest beneficiary.
Valeo Development Proposal:
The applicant is seeking a rezoning to facilitate a single-family residential community. More specifically, the requested action would rezone the 280-acre site from Suburban Ranch SR-43 (SR-43) to a Planned Area Development (PAD). The PAD is a type of zoning district that allows for tailored development standards to better respond to natural features and local contextual conditions.
The proposal would facilitate the development of a traditional single-family residential community with up to 655 lots. The maximum unit count yields a gross density of 2.3 units per acre. The overall development would be divided into seven (7) parcels which would allow multiple homebuilders to develop the overall property in phases. Those parcels would be regulated by one of the three (3) sub-zoning districts proposed within the PAD that have a minimum lot size of 5,000 square feet, 6,000 square feet, or 9,000 square feet, respectively.
The conceptual layout identifies over 90 acres or roughly 1/3 of the site as open space. The proposed open space areas include natural features such as two (2) washes that traverse the property, a 6.5-acre hillside area at the north end of the site, and three (3) pocket parks. The predominant wash will provide for an undisturbed corridor that will facilitate wildlife movement and community connectivity with trails on both sides. The smaller low flow wash runs along the future 135th Avenue alignment and is proposed to contain a soft surface trail along the edge of the west side of the wash.
The resulting PAD standards call for a minimum of 35% of the project area to be open space composed of natural open space, activated open space, on-site landscaping, retention, landscape buffers and other undeveloped landscape areas. The current Suburban Ranch 43 (SR-43) Zoning District, in comparison, requires a minimum of 10% of active open space, which is significantly less than the minimum proposed within the PAD. Further, when custom homes are constructed within the SR-43 Zoning District, no open space area or cohesive amenity plan is required.
Summary of Rezone Analysis:
When evaluating a Rezone, the city assesses the appropriateness of the request in conformance with the General Plan and the underlying land use designations. Moreover, staff also reviews a multitude of elements such as the physical features of the site, availability of infrastructure, the housing needs of the city, and the character of the area. These measures are evaluated for conformance with the goals and policies within the General Plan, and City Council priorities which function as a proxy for the will of the citizens.
The southernmost wash is a physical feature present on the site that serves as a natural divide. Areas located to the north and east of the wash are designated as Traditional Residential (2-5 du/ac) on the General Plan, whereas areas below this wash (Parcels 6B/7) are designated as Estate Residential (0-2 du/ac). Accordingly, Parcels 6B/7 within the Estate Residential area (0-2 du/ac) would generate a gross density of 1.71 du/ac, whereas parcels within the Traditional Residential area (2-5 du/ac) would generate a gross density of 2.58 du/ac. Overall, the proposed development would yield a gross density of 2.34 units per acre. Therefore, the proposed rezone conforms with the underlying General Plan land use designations.
The proposed PAD provides for a range of lot sizes and housing types. Existing developments abutting the subject site are built with a gross density ranging between 1.6 to 4.3 dwelling units per acre (du/ac). The proposed gross density of the subject site is approximately 2.34 du/ac with most portions of the site identifying a density that is lower than the abutting residential subdivisions.
Existing developments in the area established a character and development pattern similar to what is proposed in the PAD. Within the city of Peoria, the typical maximum height allowance for a single-family dwelling is thirty (30) feet or 2-stories. All of the adjacent developments surrounding the property are subject to the same building height allowance of thirty (30) feet.
In staff’s analysis of the PAD development standard and the appropriateness for the area, staff compared the proposed Valeo development standards with the development standards of the existing developments. The proposed PAD development standards provide for a maximum building height, lot coverage, lot width, and setback requirements that are similar to adjacent developments. In fact, with the height restrictions and buffer conditions, this PAD includes restrictions that existing communities in the area do not have.
Infrastructure:
The subject site has street frontage along Lone Mountain Road, 135th Avenue, and Dixileta Drive. Right-of-way improvements will be required to improve the conditions of these roadways in association with the proposed development. Those improvements will include the requisite half street improvements for Lone Mountain and Dixileta, as well as the connection of 135th from Lone Mountain to Dixileta through the development.
Water and sewer facilities exist adjacent to the site and are sized appropriately with available capacity to serve the proposed development.
Peoria Unified School District:
This site is located within the Peoria Unified School District (PUSD). Students generated by this development would attend Lake Pleasant Elementary School and Liberty High School, respectively. PUSD has been provided with information regarding this proposal and an opportunity to comment on the case. The developer has provided written correspondence from PUSD demonstrating that they are working towards a Developer Assistance Agreement to support anticipated growth in the school district (Exhibit 3).
Neighborhood Meeting(s):
The City Code requires the applicant to hold at least one (1) neighborhood meeting for the Rezone. Accordingly, the applicant notified all property owners within a 1,320-foot radius of the site and registered HOAs within 1-mile. The neighborhood meeting was held on June 4, 2025, at Vistancia Elementary School. The open house meeting attracted 93 attendees. At the meeting, the applicant provided comment cards solicitating public comment for their engagement team to address. As a result, the applicant team received 37 comment cards and 5 emails related to their neighborhood meeting. The applicant team also conducted smaller meetings with interested neighbors and residential groups.
Comments received by the public were reviewed and addressed where possible within the PAD standards, design plans, or proposed conditions of approval. Specific comments addressed prior to the Planning and Zoning Commission public hearing included a required landscape buffer and 1-story (25-foot) building height restriction adjacent to Vistancia Parcel G-1 and Trilogy West Parcel C48.
Subsequent to the Planning and Zoning Commission Public Hearing, the Mesquite Councilperson and adjacent Trilogy West neighbors worked with the developer to increase the area within the Lone Mountain PAD subject to the 1-story height (25-foot) building restriction. As a result of additional concessions made, Exhibit 4 identifies amended development standards for the Lone Mountain PAD including a height restriction not only on the previously agreed upon Parcel 2 and 3, but also Parcel 1, when a residential lot backs up to residential lots within Vistancia Parcel G-1 and Trilogy West Parcel C48.
OVERALL DESIGN ELEMENTS
To optimize compatibility and address concerns voiced from area residents, the applicant worked with the city and the Mesquite District Council Office on various layout and design solutions.
- Edge condition abutting Trilogy West C48:
- All lots located within 100 feet of existing lots along the southern boundary of Parcels 1 and 2 were limited to 1-story, not to exceed 25 feet.
- Minimum 40-foot landscape buffer on southern edge of Parcels 1 and 2. In total, this results in a minimum buffer of 75-feet between existing lots in Trilogy West and proposed lots within Parcels 1 and 2.
- Edge condition abutting Vistancia G-1:
- All lots located within 100 feet of existing lots along the western boundary of Parcel 3 were limited to 1-story, not to exceed 25 feet.
- Minimum 30-foot landscape buffer on western edge of Parcel 3. In total, this results in a minimum buffer of 55 feet between existing Vistancia lots and proposed lots within Parcel 3.
- Open Space:
- The PAD provides a minimum of 35% of the net site to be open space. This computes out to approximately 90 acres, which includes natural washes, hillside landform, and active and passive recreation areas.
- Natural washes and upland areas support wildlife movement and connectivity within the community.
- Site will feature a minimum of three (3) pocket parks, with a minimum size of 1-acre distributed throughout the community.
- Conformance with the General Plan:
- Parcels located south of the wash (6B/7) conform to the Estate Residential (0-2 du/ac) land use designation with a gross density of 1.71 du/ac. Parcels north of the wash conform to the Traditional Residential designation (2-5 du/ac) with a gross density of 2.58 du/ac.
- PAD parcels on outlying areas have lower densities than the respective adjacent developed or planned subdivisions.
- Overall, the project provides for a gross density of 2.34 du/ac which is line with the area. The prospect of three (3) homebuilders will provide for lot and product diversity within the community.
SUPPORT and OPPOSITION
At the time of publication, the city has received thirty-two (32) letters in opposition and thirteen (13) letters of inquiry.
Subsequent to the Planning and Zoning Commission hearing, the city has received a petition signed by one hundred and thirteen (113) Trilogy West residents seeking further modifications to the PAD development standards (Exhibit 3).
The petition included a request for an even wider landscape buffer between residential lots on Parcel 1 and 2 adjacent to Trilogy West Parcel C48, a maximum height of 1-story (25 feet) across the entire development, wider lot widths and a wildlife corridor between Parcel 1 and 2 adjacent to Trilogy West Parcel C48. As previously identified, the applicant originally instituted development standards that mirrored the surrounding entitlements and neighborhood context. Through public outreach the developer made several concessions in collaboration with the Mesquite District Council Office and neighboring property owners to provide a reasonable landscape buffer and 1-story height restriction adjacent to concerned neighbors. After Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval on the case, the applicant continued to work with residents and the council office to expand the 1-story height restriction in strategic areas across Parcels 1, 2, and 3 as reflected in Exhibit 4.
Other requests identified in the petition or new letters of opposition received after Planning and Zoning Commission largely pertained to specific construction details that will be reviewed through the subsequent administrative subdivision and civil Improvement plan processes.
The first request seeking Shea Homes to install an off-site gate along the Trilogy West border does not pertain to the subject development and should be handled through that development's management company. Additional items identified pertain to details that are evaluated later in the development process and/or are dictated by existing codes and engineering standards/practices. Requested items include a desire for a privacy view fence adjacent to the Trilogy West tennis courts, confirmation on specific locations of trees and bushes, location of drainage pipes and basins, increased right-of-way widths, reduced speed limits, and building elevations.