Rose Law Group Reporter
Last night the City Council in the City of Maricopa unanimously approved a rezoning for the 776 acre Anderson Russell Planned Area Development. Anderson Russell is the first Planned Area Development that the City has approved under the City’s new Zoning Ordinance and becomes the largest community to be rezoned in Maricopa since before the economic downturn. Anderson Russell, owned by Anderson Russell, LLC, was annexed into the City in 2012 and is planned for a mix of residential, commercial, office, and business uses.
The Owner was represented by Court Rich of the Rose Law Group who told the Council that the proposed community includes a unique mix of apartments, high and low-density housing, retail, and businesses that makes the community a first of its kind in Maricopa. The opportunity to one day provide housing options that do not currently exist in the City was a key attribute of the project, touted by proponents.
Rich explained to the Council that stipulations attached to the zoning and agreed upon by the owner, protect the City while allowing the owner to continue forward through the more detailed engineering process. The Council vote overturned a recommendation of denial from the City’s Planning and Zoning Commission and went against a recommendation against the project that came from City Staff.
At the hearing, Councilwoman Nancy Smith explained her support for the project by emphasizing the protection the City receives from the stipulations. Mayor Christian Price echoed Smith’s comments related to the protections built into the stipulations. The Mayor also argued that the City should be supportive of those that seek to bring jobs and investment into the City.
