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ITEM #: 4.
DATE: 11/16/2026
AI #:3579
CITY COUNCIL ACTION REPORT
 
SUBJECT: ORDINANCE REZONING APPROXIMATELY 1,019.5 ACRES FROM AU AND PRELIMINARY PAD TO TERRASANTE PAD
 
 
STAFF PRESENTER(S): Guadalupe Ortiz Cortez, Planning Supervisor

OTHER PRESENTER(S):

Alan Beaudoin, Norris Design

SUMMARY

This is a Public hearing for a request to rezone approximately 1,019.5 acres generally located west of S. Rainbow Valley Road, east of S. Tuthill Road, south of the Williams Field Road alignment and north of the Willis Road alignment from Estrella Mountain Ranch Phase II Preliminary Planned Area Development and Agricultural Urban to TerraSante PAD to allow for a master planned community with residential, commercial and open space land uses. Details about the project are provided in the attached Ordinance No. 2026-1655 (Attachment A), Aerial Photo (Attachment B), Project Narrative (Attachment C), and Detailed Evaluation Criteria (Attachment D).

STRATEGIC PLAN ALIGNMENT

   

RECOMMENDATION

Adopt Ordinance No. 2026-1655 conditionally rezoning approximately 1,019.5 acres of property generally located west of S. Rainbow Valley Road, east of S. Tuthill Road, south of the Williams Field Road alignment and north of the Willis Road alignment from Estrella Mountain Ranch Phase II Preliminary Planned Area Development and Agricultural Urban to TerraSante PAD to allow for a master planned community with residential, commercial, and open spaces land uses. (Guadalupe Ortiz Cortez, Planning Supervisor)

STIPULATIONS

The stipulations below represent the most significant provisions:
  • Development Units A16 and B12 are reserved for Liberty Elementary School to build a school. If the school does not need the property and notifies the City, the units can be developed as single-family residential. 
  • The City is committing to providing 274 acre-feet of water per year, and this water allotment shall be increased to 1,160 acre-feet of water per year upon approval of the City's Designation of Assured Water Supply. 
  • The traffic study is conditionally approved and revised traffic studies shall be provided with future site plan and preliminary plat submittals. 
  • The owner is responsible to construct all on-site and off-site infrastructure improvements required to serve the property. 

The complete list of stipulations is contained within Ordinance No. 2026-1655, included as Attachment A.

FISCAL IMPACT

Although a fiscal impact analysis has not been conducted on this specific project, all new development will have an ongoing fiscal impact on the city. The development is responsible for construction of all infrastructure necessary to serve the site and will generate one-time revenue for the city through payment of permits, construction sales tax and development impact fees. Longer term fiscal impacts include increased demands for municipal services, the costs of which may or may not be offset by increased property values/tax levies, city sales tax, state shared revenues and the increased demand for commercial and retail development. Any areas that will be maintained by the city are constructed by the developer and then conveyed to the city two years after construction.

BACKGROUND AND PREVIOUS ACTIONS

On November 4, 2026 the Planning and Zoning (P&Z) Commission held a public hearing for this item. At the conclusion of the staff and applicant presentations, staff answered questions from P&Z Commission regarding timing of the Loop 303 extension in the project area and the buffer proposed for the Loop 303 alignment. The applicant also answered questions about the entries into the proposed development and the preservation of Spirit Ridge and Northern Tributary Wash to help with wildlife migration. During the public hearing portion of the item, two county residents spoke in opposition to the rezoning. The county residents stated reasons such as change in rural character of the area, cultural clash between planned communities in the cities and their neighborhood in the county, no proposed buffer between the proposed master planned community and their rural neighborhood, and habitat concerns. At the conclusion of the public hearing, the P&Z Commission voted 5-1 to recommend approval, subject to the proposed stipulations which are reflected in the Ordinance, included as Attachment A. 

A Public Hearing notice for the City Council Meeting was published in the Arizona Business Gazette - Republic Edition on October 16, 2026, at least 15 days prior to the meeting; postcards were mailed to adjoining owners, located within 1,200 feet of the Property, on October 9, 2026 and signs were posted/updated on the site on October 13, 2026.

Additional details regarding the previous actions are provided in the P&Z Commission Staff Report, included in Attachment E.

STAFF ANALYSIS

Staff recommends that the City Council adopt the Ordinance No. 2026-1655, consistent with the P&Z Commission recommendation.

Attachments