This article originally published in the Phoenix Business Journal.
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Cullum Homes is eyeing the former Lazy R&G Ranch to build a luxury gated community in the Arcadia area of Phoenix.
The Scottsdale-based custom homebuilder is working its way through the zoning process to develop a community with 60 luxury homes on 12.62 acres at the southwest corner of 48th Street and Indian School Road.
For many years, the property served as a private retreat for employees of the Arizona Republic and the now defunct Phoenix Gazette until the 2005 sale of the land, including eight acres to Arcadia High School.
By 2011, the remaining 12.62 acres were rezoned by Arcadia Development LLC to develop a mixed-use office and commercial project, but that project never gained traction, said Benjamin Tate, partner at Withey Morris Baugh PLC and zoning attorney for Cullum Homes.
Now, Cullum Homes is requesting the land be rezoned to a Planned Unit Development in an effort to develop 4.75 units per acre in a community to be called Arcadian Square, where homes would average 3,500 square feet.
Two major projects are currently facing delays just south of Phoenix in Pinal County.
Vermaland LLC’s La Osa Energy Center near the city of Eloy faced a last-minute wave of community opposition in May, pushing the firm to significantly reduce the project’s size. It’s now planning for an 11-building data center campus at a 3,300-acre site, instead of the 59-building campus originally proposed. That project will be back in the spotlight when it returns to the board for a vote at an August 26 meeting.
Project Midway, a proposed five-building, 1.25-million-square-foot data center campus on 215 acres also faces delays following a July 16 meeting. The county’s planning and zoning commission asked dozens of questions around power and the project’s potential impact on the grid before an attorney representing the developer asked for a continuance on the items indefinitely.
Nearby residents have expressed concern that Arcadian Square would create too much traffic in the area.
Traffic created by Arcadian Square would be far less than what the land currently is zoned for, which includes 132,000 square feet of office and commercial space, Tate said.
“We’re really swinging for the fences to do something very high-end, very unique and very walkable,” Tate said. “We are significantly decreasing the intensity of this site relative to what is approved there right now.”
To address residents’ concerns, the proposal will include comprehensive pedestrian safety measures along 48th Street and enhanced shared use paths extended out onto Indian School Road, Tate said.
An existing five-foot sidewalk along Indian School Road would be pulled back 10 feet to create an 18-foot area between the community’s wall and the curb.
“We’re incorporating neighborhood input so we have extensive pedestrian safety measures,” Tate said.
The new gated community would include a garden plaza with a central fountain feature, as well as a dog park and community lawn.
The layout of the community features homes organized around a network of private internal roadways that provide access to all residences while creating a walkable neighborhood environment, according to the project narrative on file with the city of Phoenix.
“Drawing inspiration from traditional European rowhouse and mews-style neighborhoods, the homes are arranged so that primary entrances, front porches, and principal living spaces address pedestrian-oriented open space corridors, creating an engaging neighborhood environment,” according to the narrative. “This approach fosters a stronger connection between residents and the shared landscape while establishing a neighborhood character centered on walkability and social interaction.”