Commission advances Rio 1900 PAD and a related general‑plan amendment; residents press water, roads and buffer concerns
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Summary
The commission recommended City Council approve the Rio 1900 rezone and a minor general‑plan amendment that shifts 31 acres from open space to neighborhoods and sets a 1,900 acre‑feet water allocation cap. Residents raised concerns about traffic, drainage and buffers to existing neighborhoods and public lands.
The Goodyear Planning and Zoning Commission on Dec. 3 voted to forward recommendations to City Council to approve a minor amendment to the Goodyear 2035 general plan and to rezone roughly 1,940 acres to the proposed Rio 1900 Planned Area Development.
Principal Planner Anne Dolmage summarized the proposal known as Rio 1900 (formerly King Ranch PAD), describing a layered LUCA land‑use approach and revised development standards across residential, commercial and open‑space areas. Staff recommended approval of a minor general plan amendment to reclassify 31 acres from open space to neighborhoods and recommended the rezone to Rio 1900 PAD subject to the proposed stipulations. Dolmage noted an error in proposed stipulation 4 (two numbers cited); staff clarified both numbers should be 1,900 — a reference to the project’s water allocation.
Deputy Director Marty Crossland said two capital improvement projects (Cotton Lane widening and Estrella Bridge work) are under design, and that the city’s Integrated Water and Wastewater Master Plan currently allocates 1,900 acre‑feet to the project; city staff explained final plats will be capped when the allocation has been reached. Crossland and planning staff said design and phasing, and the developer’s final plats, will govern when infrastructure is triggered and built.
Harvard Investments’ representative Brian Greathouse (Birch & Cracchiolo) presented the developer’s concept and timeline, saying first construction could begin about 2027 with first homes delivered around 2029. Greathouse noted developer commitments including donation of two elementary school sites and a 30‑acre city park; he estimated total infrastructure investment on the order of $250 million.
Residents who live adjacent to the project raised concerns at the hearing: some asked whether Bureau of Land Management parcels or Estrella Regional Park could be affected; others pressed on drainage in local washes, the adequacy and timing of road and bridge improvements, and whether water allocation will support proposed densities. The applicant showed buffer measures including a 100‑foot building setback adjacent to existing homes and minimum lot‑size protections along shared property lines.
After discussion the commission first voted to recommend approval of the minor general plan amendment (motion by Commissioner Haggadis; second by Vice Chair Sambito) and then voted to recommend approval of the Rio 1900 rezone (motion by Commissioner Nepo Musino; second by Commissioner Wang). Both recommendations will be forwarded to City Council for the Dec. 15 meeting.
What to watch: The stipulation limiting the project to 1,900 acre‑feet annually is the mechanism staff and the developer described as the principal constraint on buildout; final plat approvals and detailed infrastructure planning will determine phasing and whether future changes to unit counts are needed.
