Florence planning commission denies preliminary plat for Anthem at Merrill Ranch East of Felix; item to go to town council

The Florence Planning and Zoning Commission denied a preliminary plat for the Anthem at Merrill Ranch development east of Felix Road on Thursday, March 20, after public comment and debate about traffic safety, amenities and infrastructure capacity.

The commission voted to deny the applicant’s request to approve a preliminary plat for approximately 943 acres that Pulte Homes says would be developed in phases into about 3,137 residential lots as part of the Anthem at Merrill Ranch planned unit development. The developer and its consultants said some traffic signals and an underpass would be installed with early phases, and that major water and wastewater infrastructure would be built to serve the expansion; residents and several commissioners said the planned roadwork and amenities were insufficient to protect safety or preserve existing residents’ access to facilities.

The commission’s denial means the application will be considered next by the Florence Town Council under the PUD’s appeal provisions.

Why it matters: The proposal would add thousands of homes adjacent to Sun City Anthem and Merrill Ranch, and residents argued that current facilities — clubhouses, golf course tee times, pickleball courts and parking — are already strained. Commissioners framed their concerns primarily as public‑safety and infrastructure limits along Felix Road and nearby Hunt Highway rather than HOA management or amenity disputes, although several residents tied amenity access to the development’s effect on day‑to‑day quality of life.

What the plan would have done Pulte and its consultants told the commission that the East‑of‑Felix portion of the Anthem PUD would consist of roughly 943 acres and about 3,137 lots. The applicant said phase 1 would include about 600 home sites and that Pulte plans to begin earthwork and infrastructure next year, with on‑site development work starting in 2026 and dwelling construction earliest in 2028. The developer projected full buildout of the East side around 2040.

Joshua Robinson of Colliers Engineering, the project presenter, described three signal locations on Felix Road, two of which he said would be installed by Pulte with phase‑1 development, and a third at Hunt Highway that would be installed by others. He also showed an exhibit that expands park acreage east of Felix from about 2.35 acres in the original PUD to roughly 10 acres in the proposed plan, and described planned decomposed‑granite trails and a concrete underpass to improve east‑west connectivity.

What residents said Dozens of residents attended and several addressed the commission. Kathy Prince, a Sun City Anthem at Merrill Ranch resident since 2009, said she was disappointed by Pulte’s packet response and by perceived delays in promised roadwork: “This delay is simply unacceptable,” she said, pressing the commission for earlier turn‑lane and signal timing commitments and asking that turn lanes be built at an angle to improve sight lines. She added that Pulte’s materials suggested conflicting responses about whether existing amenities had been reassessed and expressed frustration that “the company prioritizes profit over the quality of life for current residents.”

Other residents emphasized road safety. Tom Minder, a three‑year resident, said Felix Road already carries heavy truck traffic and shows surface deterioration; ‘‘I can’t imagine the addition of 3,700 more doors to that road and what that impact’s gonna have,” he said. Several speakers described difficulties booking tee times and crowded recreation facilities; Mike Ames summarized that ‘‘quality of life is what my wife Nancy and I came here for, and it’s not been improved.” Email submissions from Diana Zissus, Joanie Svediman and Ronnie Halvorsen were read into the record reiterating concerns about added homes without new amenities.

What the developer said Todd Nape of Pulte Homes said phase‑1 infrastructure work — water, wastewater and earthwork — is planned to start in 2026, and that Pulte expects signals identified in the traffic study will be warranted and installed with early development. He told commissioners that the developer is taking the lead, along with other partners, on water campus and reclamation facilities that will cost “tens of millions” of dollars and require extensive transmission mains and infrastructure.

Staff and legal context Marty Mattis (Community Development staff) corrected the acreage figure in the staff report to 943 acres and confirmed the plat proposes 3,137 lots. Staff said the site is governed by the Anthem at Merrill Ranch PUD, originally approved in February 2005 and updated in February 2008. The town’s technical advisory committee reviewed the submittal and the Florence Fire Department worked with the applicant on secondary access requirements. The town attorney reminded commissioners that review of a preliminary plat is ministerial in scope and that issues governed by the community’s PUD and vested rights — including HOA management and some amenity decisions — are outside the commission’s authority in this hearing.

Commission debate and vote Commissioners debated whether they could place conditions on road cross‑section or local speed limits; the town attorney cautioned that speed limits require traffic engineering and MUTCD (Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices) compliance and that removing a proposed median may conflict with engineering design. After discussion and an initial, rescinded motion that included two specific recommendations (that Felix Road be four lanes with no median and that the town council return Felix Road to 35 mph), the commission ultimately voted on a motion to approve the preliminary plat per staff recommendations. The motion failed; commissioners voted to deny the application. The commission’s denial sends the matter to Town Council for final action under the PUD’s appeal provisions.

Clarifying details and next steps - Corrected acreage: 943 acres (staff correction in the meeting). - Proposed lots: 3,137 residential lots (applicant reported). - Phase 1: ~600 home sites; developer expects to start infrastructure work in 2026 and earliest houses 2028; projected buildout around 2040 (developer’s projection). - Roadwork: Pulte said it will build Felix Road improvements adjacent to the development and at least two signals with phase 1; the signal at Hunt Highway would be installed by others; an underpass is included in the early improvements. - Utilities: Pulte and partners proposed a water campus and a water reclamation facility that staff and the developer said would cost ‘‘tens of millions’’ and require transmission mains sized for future expansion.

A look ahead Because the commission denied the preliminary plat, the application will go to the Florence Town Council for consideration. Residents at the meeting were told the PUD gives the council final jurisdiction over the matter. Both Pulte and town staff indicated they will continue engineering and coordination work and that some installations (signals, underpass) are tied to phase‑1 triggers.