Council approves annexation and PCD rezoning to enable North Peoria Gateway on state trust land

The Peoria City Council on Oct. 15 approved a package of actions to bring state trust land into the city and establish a planned community district (PCD) zoning framework for the North Peoria Gateway, a roughly 1,621‑acre area near the Loop 303 and Vistancia Boulevard intended for mixed residential, employment and commercial uses.

Council voted 7‑0 to approve a pre‑annexation development agreement (Resolution 24‑79) and separately approved annexation (Ordinance 26R) of about 458 gross acres now in Maricopa County. The council approved the initial translational zoning for the annexed area (27R) by a 7‑0 vote and later approved the full PCD rezoning of the entire North Peoria Gateway (28R) by a 6‑1 vote.

Planning Director Chris Hawkes and Economic Development Director Jen Stein briefed council on the long‑running collaboration with the Arizona State Land Department (ASLD) and the State Selection Board, which authorizes disposition of trust lands. Hawkes said the city received authorization from the land commissioner and the selection board for this parcel in 2019 and that the current actions are the next step to entitle the land so the state may move parcels to auction once they are ready.

The approved framework uses a zoning‑bank style PCD to provide flexibility for parcels sold over time, while establishing context‑sensitive standards to limit intensity where the entitlement borders existing residential neighborhoods. Hawkes said the entitlement retains lower‑intensity uses adjacent to Trilogy and other single‑family areas; allows employment, mixed‑use and higher‑intensity uses closer to Loop 303 and Vistancia; and includes step‑back and setback rules that increase separation between taller buildings and existing homes.

The council and staff emphasized constraints across the site — high‑voltage power corridors, natural washes and the Beardsley Canal — that limit developable acreage and informed the plan’s parcel layout. Hawkes said roughly one‑third of the 1,621 acres is affected by those constraints.

The pre‑annexation agreement includes several practical provisions: ASLD will prioritize nonresidential development on specific parcels (labeled C and D in staff maps) by restricting residential development there for 15 years unless certain employment thresholds are met; the agreement also establishes a queue for a high‑visibility parcel at the Happy Valley/Vistancia intersection (partial Q) and restricts residential use there for 10 years in favor of vertically integrated mixed use or nonresidential first. The city agreed to construct and reimburse certain roadway improvements, update its infrastructure and impact fee models to include the annexation area, and to coordinate with ASLD on sequencing and auction readiness.

Traffic improvements are central to the plan. Hawkes and Stein described an ongoing design concept report for the Happy Valley/Vistancia intersection; staff have budgeted approximately $14.5 million in the capital program for interim and final realignments, with interim dual‑left turn lane improvements anticipated in FY25–26 and final realignment work targeted for FY27–28. The plan also anticipates coordination on a new El Mirage connection to the Loop 303 as part of broader regional planning.

Members of the public and the Peoria Unified School District submitted written comments; the district provided a letter of support for the entitlement but reiterated that new educational facilities will be needed as development proceeds. Planning staff said they had held two neighborhood meetings (one in person, one virtual) and that the Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval 7‑0 on Sept. 19.

Hawkes said the PCD includes a unit cap and allocations tied to the city’s general plan assumptions; he told council the 13,989‑unit figure previously discussed is a theoretical maximum yield from the general‑plan map and that the actual number of residential units that develop will likely be substantially lower given site constraints and market choices.

The council’s approvals set the entitlement framework; individual parcels will return to the city for secondary planning and site‑specific approvals when they are auctioned and a purchaser proposes development.