City of Phoenix Advisory Committee to Vote on Massive NorthPark Master-Planned Development with 15K Housing Units, Plus a Science and Tech Park
If Pulte Homes becomes the successful bidder of a future land auction for a master-planned development which could mimic the size of Anthem at full buildout on 6,355 acres of state trust land, the area will include nine unique land uses within the development, including an industrial technology park which TSMC hopes to acquire.
The proposal was first unveiled in November 2024 to residents during a neighborhood meeting hosted by the developer. The North Gateway Village Planning Committee, which serves as an advisory committee to the City, will offer its input on the proposal in a public meeting Thursday, Nov. 13. It will then go before the City Planning Commission in December, and regardless of the recommendations of the two committees, only the City Council has the authority to approve or deny the proposal.
Pyramid Peak
In order to proceed to auction, the land first requires rezoning approval by the City of Phoenix with amendments to the General Plan. Current property zoning is S-1, allowing for 1 dwelling per acre. No state land auction date has been set by the state for Pulte’s interest in the development, however, an auction date of Jan. 7 has been scheduled for the 903 acres dubbed Innovation Corridor that TSMC wishes to acquire. [Read more about TSMC’s plans here.]
Revised plans to the proposal were presented to the community last month. One of the most notable changes from initial plans presented in 2024 is that the size of Innovation Corridor has almost doubled that of the original proposal. The industrial park acreage abuts Loop-303 to the south. Initially, the plan indicated that just over 500 acres would be set aside for this business-commerce area to support light manufacturing and semiconductor suppliers.
Reduction in Number of Housing Units, More Open Space
As far as other notable changes to the NorthPark Master Planned Development from initial plans, Pulte’s legal representative Carolyn Oberholtzer told Valley Vibe the density has been reduced in many of the development units, including an over 1,100 unit reduction in the residential area located south of Dixileta Road, between 51st and 67th Avenue to the CAP canal, abutting the existing communities of Stetson Valley and Stetson Hills in the City of Phoenix.
CAP Canal
“All told, the unit count went from 19,247 to 15,150—a decrease of over 4,000 units— and the gross residential density is now 2.4 dwelling units to the acre,” Oberholtzer said in an email.
In addition, over 207 acres of community park space was added to the proposal on both sides of the Innovation Corridor, bringing the total potential public park space to over 2,300 acres—approximately 36 percent of the project area, without counting areas devoted to future homeowner’s association/pocket parks.
9 Land Use Districts within NorthPark
Originally, five separate land uses were identified throughout the development, but that number has been revised to nine, according to the revised proposal. Proposed land
uses include:
Natural Open Space
Land included within the boundaries of the Sonoran Preserve, representing approximately 2,100 acres within the NorthPark property for donation to the City of Phoenix for preservation.
Community Open Space
Open spaces outside of the Sonoran Preserve boundary, maintained by private or public entities. Can be preserved as natural open space or developed as active recreation space.
Foothills Residential
A zone for low-to-medium residential density use types within the residential area west of 51st Avenue between the CAP canal and the Phoenix Sonoran Preserve. Development is planned to be consistent with existing residential uses to the south. Housing types will be limited to single-family detached residential, and includes passive and natural open space areas.
Traditional Neighborhood
A predominantly residential zone for low-to-medium residential densities widespread throughout the NorthPark community. Product types are single-family residential uses along with medium-density attached housing, including passive and natural open space.
Neighborhood Village
A predominantly residential zone of diverse housing types, including a balance of medium- and higher-density housing types with integrated mixed-product neighborhoods characterized as walkable, socially engaging, and in close proximity to community services.
Lifestyle Mixed-Use
A blend of retail, office and dining services for the local area, with integrated residential uses. The area is located on the northeast corner of 67th Avenue and Dixileta Road and comprises a minimum of 50 gross acres, requiring a minimum of 200 multi-family units to be integrated with commercial within a walkable urban setting. Connectivity with community paths and trails will encourage residents from throughout NorthPark to visit this area on foot, reducing reliance on personal vehicles.
Community Commercial
For high-intensity commercial and employment-oriented land uses. Location is adjacent to arterial roadways and buffers residential areas.
Freeway Mixed-Use
Areas with the highest intensity of commercial-oriented land uses supporting large and small employment and higher-density housing types within the NorthPark community. Proximity is adjacent to freeways, supporting planned regional-level employment and commercial services and buffering lower-density residential to the south.
Innovation Corridor
Intended to complement high-tech and employment-oriented enterprises already located in the area, proximate to freeway corridors and interchanges with higher traffic volumes. Land uses support employment, manufacturing, and regional commerce.
Environmental & Traffic Concerns
Roughly 100 neighbors in Stetson Valley and other nearby neighborhoods have banded together in opposition to the development, urging city leaders to deny the rezoning proposal, citing environmental and traffic concerns, and safety concerns with the results of the developer-commissioned traffic study.
Planned roadway extensions include 51st Avenue and 67th Avenue and residents have expressed several concerns including a lack of traffic signals at existing crosswalks within the Stetson Valley Community, lack of traffic safeguards for semi-truck use on residential streets, understated congestion and overall safety impacts to the community.
Pulte’s legal representative, Carolyn Oberholtzer, told Valley Vibe the traffic analysis was required by the City and was conducted by local traffic engineering firm CivTech. The analysis was reviewed by ADOT and the City of Peoria. She said the analysis also factors in trips from TSMC and the Halo Vista development and uses the Maricopa Association of Governments predictive traffic models. She added that the analysis will continue to be updated as future development occurs.
Intersection improvements and new traffic signals in the Stetson community she said are part of the plan, and that both Pulte and TSMC are supportive of requirements to route semi-trucks away from the Stetson neighborhood.
The extension of 51st and 67th Avenues have always been a part of the City’s zoning map, Oberholtzer told residents in the first neighborhood meeting that took place in October 2024. [See “First Look at NorthPark,” Valley Vibe, November 2024.]
The parcels within the master plan would not be sold as one project, it would happen over time, Oberholtzer told neighbors last fall. A separate auction would be held for TSMC’s land portion in Innovation Corridor.
“So when people are concerned about a crushing amount of development happening all at once, I assure you it will be phased and metered over time, and that’s so they [State Land Department] can maximize the value,” Oberholtzer told the crowd at the October 2024 meeting.
How to Weigh In
North Gateway Village Planning Committee Meeting
6 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 13
Goelet A.C. Beuf Community Center
3435 W. Pinnacle Peak Road, Phoenix
www.northparkphx.com
Planning & Zoning Commission Hearing
6 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 4
Phoenix City Council Chambers
200 W. Jefferson St., Phoenix
www.phoenix.gov (for virtual attendance instructions)
City of Phoenix Council Meeting
2:30 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 17
Phoenix City Council Chambers
200 W. Jefferson St., Phoenix
www.phoenix.gov (for virtual attendance instructions)
By Karen Goveia
editor@valleyvibenews.com