Commission recommends C‑3 CUPD rezoning for Patterson 5 at Riggs and Sossaman despite neighborhood opposition

Maricopa County’s Planning and Zoning Commission on Jan. 23 recommended approval of a zone change to C‑3 CUPD for a 5.1‑acre site at the southeast corner of Riggs and Sossaman Road (case Z2022118), allowing neighborhood‑oriented retail in front and fully enclosed trailer storage in back.

Staff said the site is at an arterial intersection with urban services available, that the applicant secured water and sewer will‑serve letters from Queen Creek, and that the applicant offered an 8‑foot screen wall along eastern and southern property lines and an extensive landscaping buffer along Indiana Avenue. Staff characterized fully enclosed trailer storage as a low‑intensity use and added conditions to prohibit higher‑intensity uses such as marijuana, adult uses and bus depots.

Jessica Sarkissian, the applicant’s representative, described architectural enhancements developed with the town of Queen Creek, a design intended to read as agrarian rather than a blank concrete wall, and a rear enclosed trailer building with 54 stalls. She said the project includes no drive‑through, no gas station and will meet county lighting standards.

Multiple residents who live on or near Indiana Avenue and in the surrounding residential area voiced strong opposition at the hearing. Nicole Dunkey (recorded in the file as Dunkey/Dumke) said C‑3 zoning is too intense for a rural area and expressed concern that Indiana Avenue is unpaved and could be used for heavy vehicle access despite staff’s proposal to gate and restrict Indiana access to emergency use only. Robert Bergheimer and other speakers asked the commission to require a shorter period for the applicant to pull building permits, request larger landscape setbacks and avoid use of Indiana Avenue as a service entrance.

The applicant and staff said access would be from Riggs Road only, with the Indiana access gated for emergency use, and that drainage and right‑of‑way constraints limit options for access on Sossaman. The applicant stated two traffic studies were submitted and reviewed by county staff.

After discussion, the commission voted to recommend approval to the Board of Supervisors by a 4–0 vote. The staff report and public letters in the record show approximately 77 to 94 persons (depending on late submissions and duplicates) opposed the rezoning; staff noted the number could trigger a super‑majority requirement at the Board of Supervisors.