Goodyear council approves 383-unit multifamily project at Monte Vista and Pebble Creek

Goodyear — The City Council voted 7-0 on Aug. 25 to rezone about 17.55 acres at the northwest corner of Monte Vista Road and Pebble Creek Parkway to allow a 383-unit multifamily community, after the developer agreed to added design limits, landscaping and access changes intended to reduce impacts on adjacent single-family neighborhoods.

City planners and the applicant said the property already carried multifamily zoning from earlier approvals; the zoning change moves the site from an older Palm Valley Phase 8 planned area development to a new PAD with an MF-24 underlying district that allows higher heights in exchange for site-specific restrictions. Ann Dolmage, principal planner, said the request includes a PAD overlay that restricts building heights near shared property lines and increases tree density along the western buffer.

The vote approved an ordinance conditionally rezoning the site and reflected several concessions the applicant made during neighborhood outreach. Taylor Earl, attorney for the applicant, said the Pacerne family — which he described as a local, family‑owned owner/operator — had revised the site plan and design standards after multiple meetings with nearby residents.

Among the commitments the council relied on were: limiting three‑story buildings near the north and west property lines, using clerestory or anti‑glare window designs on upper‑floor windows that face neighbors, increasing the required street‑edge tree spacing to one tree every 20 feet on average (instead of 30 feet), and adding a deceleration lane on Monte Vista Road. The applicant also agreed to replace dying trees that currently stand along the west property line and to extend the perimeter wall to match existing neighborhood walls. The developer agreed to fund construction of a gated access option that the HOA could elect to finish and maintain.

Planner Dolmage told the council the conceptual plan shows 383 units, 746 parking spaces, gated resident access from Monte Vista and Pebble Creek Parkway, a clubhouse and pool, and on‑site pedestrian connections, including a public trail along the street frontages. She said the site is under 20 acres, so a general plan amendment is not required to permit the density requested.

Resident Rob Boswell, who said he lives in the adjacent Portales subdivision, urged the council to keep the zoning as originally adopted — arguing the newly proposed three‑story elements would harm property values and neighborhood character. “When I purchased my home . . . most of them are all one‑story properties,” Boswell said at the hearing. Several other residents asked for another community meeting; the developer and staff said they had held multiple neighborhood meetings and follow‑up consultations.

Taylor Earl said the applicant reduced units in one corner of the plan to eliminate a three‑story component, and that many of the overlay standards were expressly designed to protect the nearby single‑family lots. “We’re upgrading the quality of the project from what was previously envisioned and stipulating to enhanced design, resort‑level amenities and increased buffers,” he told council members.

The planning and zoning commission recommended approval 4‑2 after a hearing in August; staff received a mixture of early opposition e-mails and one support e‑mail received the week before the council hearing. Staff also noted Agua Fria Union High School District had requested developer contributions to help mitigate school impacts; staff said those fee negotiations will proceed during the site‑plan and permitting process.

Council members who spoke during the debate noted the property’s longstanding commercial/residential designation and praised the added buffering and design concessions. Council members also emphasized that, if the rezoning had not been approved, a lower‑density multifamily development permitted by the earlier MF‑18 zoning (up to 315 units) could proceed in the future without the additional protective commitments approved with the PAD overlay.

The ordinance adopting the conditional rezoning passed 7‑0. The developer and staff said the “Pacerne” family intends to monitor market conditions before deciding when to break ground; no construction start date was provided.

Background: The site has been zoned for multifamily or commercial uses under earlier plans dating to the mid‑2000s. The council’s action changes the zoning overlay and enforces new development standards through the PAD; any future owner seeking to relax those PAD restrictions would need to return to council for a public hearing.