Neighbors urge council to reject zone change for 401 Falcon Ridge Parkway; decision deferred

City planning staff presented a proposed zone change and master plan amendment for a 15-acre parcel at 401 Falcon Ridge Parkway that would reclassify the site from land reserve to multifamily high-density residential (MF4), and authorized the city manager to sign an environmental development plan. Council did not vote on the request; the matter is scheduled for the regular City Council meeting next week.

The proposal drew sustained public comment during the technical review meeting on Jan. 7, with residents and homeowners’ association leaders urging the council to reject the rezoning. Rick McIntyre, president of the Falcon Ridge Community Association, told the council, “There are no known FRCA supporters of this project and we are advocating for the denial of the proposed zone change and a rejection of the staff recommendation, to approve.”

The neighborhood opposition focused on several recurring concerns: flood risk for the site, increased traffic and parking pressure on Falcon Ridge Parkway and Birdie Lane, proximity to the Mesa View Regional Hospital and its helicopter pad, and insufficient neighborhood notification. Multiple speakers said the property is in or adjacent to a 100-year floodplain. “This is in a 100 year flood plan,” resident Larry Wakeley said, adding that nearby streets and washes could channel major stormwater into lower-lying units.

Residents also questioned whether the development’s stated senior housing designation would be enforceable if federal funding (such as HUD) is used. “When you have HUD housing, you cannot limit children in the area,” Dr. Melanie Reed said, warning that additional school busing, lunches and services would follow and likely raise costs borne by Mesquite taxpayers.

Speakers described the proposal’s scale in varying detail. Several commenters said the full project buildout could reach 256 units; one resident described the first phase as four buildings with eight units each (32 units). Carl Waldenstrom, a Mesa Hills resident and general contractor, said early phases of the plan included one-story cottages but predicted multi-story structures later: “The total requirement or total to be built out is 256.” Waldenstrom raised noise and safety concerns tied to a nearby helicopter pad, estimating the pad is “within 200 or 300 feet of the property.”

City staff told the meeting that the developer intends the project to be 55-and-older senior housing and that parking would be provided off-street within the property footprint rather than by on-street parking. Staff also said they had followed the landscape-code notification requirement by sending notices to properties within 750 feet of the site. “I sent out notifications 750 feet around the property, subject property, as required by the landscape code,” a planning staff member said, while acknowledging some residents asked for a broader notice area.

Opponents suggested alternative locations for workforce or affordable housing, noting the city owns other parcels near industrial areas and that placing housing closer to employment centers could reduce traffic impacts. Rick McIntyre pointed to city-owned parcels and argued the site might be better reserved for future hospital expansion or commercial use that generates revenue.

Council members asked clarifying questions during the technical review. Councilmember Munbonberger confirmed the meeting’s agenda item would only change zoning and would not approve architectural plans, site plans or a land sale. Councilman Wanless said the project “seemed to be kind of bouncing around” and asked for clarity on the application’s history. The mayor indicated the council will take up the zoning decision at the upcoming council meeting, giving members more time to review public input and staff materials.

The meeting record shows no formal motion or vote on the zone change during the technical review session. Staff said it will present additional detail at the council hearing.

If the council proceeds with a zoning change, subsequent steps would include review of site plans and any applicable conditional use permits or environmental approvals. At the technical review meeting, speakers asked the city to consider traffic signal timing, floodplain and drainage protections, the enforceability of age-restricted units if federal funding is used, and whether the parcel should instead remain land reserve to allow hospital expansion or commercial development.

The council’s final action on the zone change will be recorded at the next City Council meeting.