PROJECT BACKGROUND

PROPOSED HIGH-DENSITY, LOW-INCOME RESIDENTIAL PROJECT - AZ AVE AND OCOTILLO (BEHIND TARGET)

APPLICATION 1: Withdrawn based on overwhelming opposition by the City of Chandler and Chandler Residents

The application details can be viewed here:

Search for Case # Z2021175

Once in the case record, select the drop-down menu under 'record info' and find 'attachments' for download and review. There are many attachments which include site plans, architectural renderings, and project narratives.

APPLICATION 2: ACTIVE

The application details can be viewed here:

Accela Citizen Access (maricopa.gov)

Search for Case # Z2023124

Dominium Apartments, a developer of low-income, taxpayer subsidized housing based in Minnesota, has acquired a plot of land in South Chandler. The parcel of land is currently a farm on a county island near the corner of Ocotillo Rd and Arizona Avenue. Within the City of Chandler Master Plan, the land is zoned for agricultural use with a planned change to light industry in the future to support the Chandler Airport General Plan. The developer, Dominium Apartments, in partnership with the Housing Authority of Maricopa County, has applied to rezone the land from agriculture to high-density multi-family residential. Since the land is in an unincorporated area of Maricopa County, the property zoning and development process is being conducted by Maricopa County and will be voted on by the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.

The City of Chandler has stated they oppose the rezoning of this land and offered the developer
14 other sites, however the developer decided to move forward with this rezoning application.
View the City of Chandler's statements here:

CITY OF CHANDLER'S RESPONSE

CONCERNS WITH THIS PROJECT:

Conflicts with General Plan - The project distinctly conflicts with the Chandler General Plan, Airport General Plan, Southeast Chandler General Plan, and the City Master Plan Zoning. This zoning change is not in accordance with any of these plans that were voted on by 87% of the Chandler residents.

You can review the plans here: Chandler General Plan (2016) | City of Chandler (chandleraz.gov)

Reliance on Chandler utilities - Maricopa County has communicated they will not be providing any services to this county island. The project will need to rely on the City of Chandler for water, sewage, electricity etc. This enormous property will create a massive burden on the city services.

Traffic flow – Inadequate traffic impact studies have been conducted. This is a high-traffic intersection that deserves a comprehensive traffic study to review the impact that 2,000 residents would have on the surrounding area. A cursory traffic report was conducted during the height of the pandemic and submitted by the developer that included flaws, out-of-date data and does not take into consideration the proximity to the Union Pacific Railroad. Per this analysis the project does not meet all criteria as required.

Extreme Density - The City of Chandler recommends a maximum of 12-18 dwelling units per net acre for high-density projects. From the plans submitted to the County, the Developer represents 22.37 dwelling units per net acre for Family Living and 25.63 dwelling units per net acre for Senior Living. By averaging the information provided by the Developer, the project would have 23.82 (or 24) dwelling units per net acre.

Inadequate parking - The developer has a requested an exception to the minimum parking standard for a multi-family complex (among many other exceptions). The required minimum is 2 parking spaces per unit. The developer wants to only provide 1.4 parking spaces per unit. In a development of this magnitude with 518 units (approximately 2,000 people), having below the minimum number of parking spots is unacceptable. There is no public transportation provided to this location therefore adequate parking is essential.

Reputation of the developer - Please review the developer section to learn more about Dominium. A simple Google search will reveal their reputation. As residents of Chandler, we take pride in our community, and we need to trust the developers that are shaping our neighborhoods.

Public Safety - The City of Chandler is already experiencing a rise in crime, and we have recently lost nearly 10% of our police officers. With an additional 2,000 people in one plot of land we would need a significant increase in policing for the area. The Maricopa County's Sherriff's Office currently has jurisdiction over the land and extended response times could be expected from MCSO. Chandler PD will have to step in, and they have yet to be consulted on the proposed project.

Design - The proposed 4-story, 518-unit development is not consistent with surrounding residential areas. All of the surrounding residential properties are single family homes, consistent with the Southeast Chandler Area Plan. This area of Chandler is meant to preserve the agricultural atmosphere of the community and maintain open spaces. The developer has requested several exceptions to bare minimum standards of design including setbacks, side walls. Please refer to the developer section to learn more about their maintenance standards for their existing properties.

Proximity to Chandler Regional Airport - This project is in the direct descent path for the Chandler Regional Airport that poses several challenges. For that reason, this land was planned for light industrial use (not residential) to support the airpark and Chandler Airport General Plan.