Gilbert council delays vote on Willowbrook rezoning amid traffic safety concerns

Gilbert — The Gilbert Town Council on Aug. 26 postponed a decision on a proposed Willowbrook subdivision that would rezone roughly 26.4 acres at Riggs Road and 150th/150 Sixth Street from SF-43 to SF-6 and amend the town general plan. The council voted to continue the item to Oct. 14, 2025, after lengthy discussion about traffic safety and signal warrants.

The project before council would allow 91 single-family lots with a proposed density of 3.45 dwelling units per acre, a minimum lot size of about 6,600 square feet, 18% open space and single‑story restrictions on lots along the southern boundary. The applicant, Lennar Homes, requested several planned-area-development deviations including a 5% increase in lot coverage, reduced side/setback staggering and an elimination of an additional rear setback when adjacent to certain roadways. Planning staff recommended approval; the Planning Commission had recommended approval 6–0 after receiving neighborhood comments in opposition.

Why it matters: The debate centered on the intersection of community character and public safety. Neighbors and several council members said existing traffic on Riggs Road makes turning from 150th/150 Sixth Street hazardous; staff and the developer’s traffic consultant said federal and state signal warrants are not met and that installing a traffic signal at the location could, under some models, increase crash frequency.

Town senior planner Kristen Devine described the proposal’s zoning and design: “The community is proposing about 18% of open space for a density of 3.45 dwelling units per acre,” and she noted 53 lots exceed 7,000 square feet and that single‑story restrictions had been added along the southern boundary. Devine also summarized neighborhood meeting feedback and Planning Commission input.

Traffic studies and safety: Town traffic staff and the developer’s traffic engineer presented counts and analyses. Don Cartier of CIVTech said the development would add a small number of vehicles to the peak-hour turning movement — about 40 vehicles in the AM peak (roughly 30 left turns, 10 right turns) and fewer in the PM peak — but that an existing condition at Riggs results in long delays for drivers trying to turn left.

A town traffic analyst said observers recorded average left‑turn delays of about 45 seconds in the morning peak and about 19 seconds in the evening peak, with short intervals during the AM peak when the first two or three vehicles experienced two to three minutes of delay. The staff presentation concluded the intersection did not meet any of the nine federal/state signal warrants and cited the Highway Safety Manual, noting that placing a signal where warrants are not satisfied can in some cases increase crash likelihood.

Resident testimony and developer response: Residents urged additional mitigation. Rod Van Bieber, a nearby resident, described Riggs as a high‑speed thoroughfare and questioned the growth assumptions used in the warrant analysis. “Riggs is really different than a lot of thoroughfares … people use Riggs as a thoroughfare,” he said.

Developer representative Brennan Ray said the plan before council is a reduced version of an earlier proposal, dropping from 116 lots to 91 with wider lots and additional single‑story restrictions. Ray said Lennar had added a right turn lane, a right‑in/right‑out access on Riggs, and would work with staff on conduit or other measures should a signal ever become warranted. “We would request your approval tonight of both the general plan and the rezoning,” Ray said, while also acknowledging further work with staff on traffic timing and other mitigations.

Council direction and vote: Council members debated whether to act or delay. Council member Kenny Buckland proposed tabling the item to allow staff, the developer and residents to pursue additional traffic options such as signal timing adjustments and “soft” speed‑reduction measures; Buckland said, “this probably needs to be tabled so that … we can get better data.” After discussion, Council moved and seconded a continuance. The council set a new hearing date for Oct. 14, 2025; the motion to continue passed 6–1, with Council member Lyons recorded as the lone no vote.

Next steps: Staff will continue to work with the developer and traffic consultants to explore timing and other traffic‑management options, review any additional data, and return the rezoning and general-plan amendment to council at the Oct. 14 meeting for further consideration.