Two proposed housing developments in Marana got unanimous green lights for zoning changes from the city’s planning commission Wednesday night, the first of several steps before building can begin.
Plans for the Camino de Oeste and Twin Peaks Oasis projects include 144 lots and 74 lots respectively, for a total of up to 218 new single-family homes.
The Camino de Oeste development would be on a 72-acre lot north of Cortaro Farms Road and between North Camino de Oeste and North Hartman Lane, and Twin Peaks would be on a roughly 37-acre lot east of Twin Peaks Road and north of West Oasis Road.
The commission’s recommendations still need to be approved by the Marana Town Council.
The 72-acre property’s current zoning sets the minimum lot size at 25 acres, and the commission signed off on changing it to a more dense residential zone that sets a minimum lot size of 6,000 square feet. The Marana General Plan designates the area as low-density residential, which allows for a maximum of two homes per acre.
Sam Mills of Pulte Homes, the project’s builder, said he hopes to be able to start building by next April.
Meanwhile, home density at the 37-acre lot would be similar, but the proposal required a zoning change and modification of the general plan. Linda Morales, whose company put together the Twin Peaks plan, said building could be up to two years out.
All homes in the Camino de Oeste development will be one-story, according to the conditions of the zoning change. Two-story homes are allowed in the Twin Peaks project, but the commission recommended their number be capped.
Neighbors of both projects attended the meeting to lodge their complaints, which centered on view-obstruction, increased traffic and threats to property values.
“We’re like rats in a cage,” Darlene Snyder said of the current traffic conditions around Cortaro Farms Road, adding that the 144-home development would only make that worse.
“The purpose of zoning is to protect other owners,” Richard Amdahl told the commission of the Twin Peaks development’s possible impact on the surrounding community and property values. “We’re asking you to protect what we’ve already spent.”
Steven Vasquez, a Marana planner, said interest in new subdivisions around Marana has been picking up recently. That’s because many subdivisions that were approved in the leadup to the Great Recession whose lots remained empty for years after the crash have been slowly filled in, requiring developers to start new subdivisions from scratch.
“We’re seeing that increased growth,” he said.
