Gilbert council delays decision on Bellastoria PAD amendment after debate over 20% unit increase

Mayor Scott Anderson and the Gilbert Town Council on May 6 postponed action on a Planned Area Development (PAD) amendment for Bellastoria Parcel B after an hour of presentations and council discussion about a roughly 20% increase in apartment units and related impacts.

Town staff presented the amendment, which would replace the previously approved site plan with a redesigned multifamily development totaling 367 units on the Parcel B site in the Bellastoria PAD. The new plan would add a two‑level parking structure, increase open space to about 42.8%, and mix 2‑, 3‑ and partial 4‑story buildings to create a transition to adjacent single‑family lots. Staff recommended approval of the PAD amendment subject to conditions in the staff report.

The council’s debate centered on the increase in units (about 67 more than the previously approved plan), parking and traffic impacts, and the process of returning to the council after an earlier PAD approval in October 2023. Council members repeatedly said they wanted more time to review the traffic and parking studies and to discuss the policy implications of allowing a substantial redesign that raises unit counts.

In presenting the…