By Parker Leavitt | The Arizona Republic
The future of south Gilbert’s Santan Character Area, where recent zoning changes have increased residential density, will be up for discussion Tuesday when the Town Council meets with the Planning Commission in a special joint session.
The meeting begins at 6 p.m. at the Gilbert Municipal Center, 50 E. Civic Center Drive, and the agenda also includes discussion about vacant land targeted for economic development and a review of Planning Commission highlights over the past two years.
Gilbert’s General Plan, which was last approved by voters in 2011, designates about 16 square miles south of Germann Road as the town’s Santan Character Area, a region with a rich agricultural heritage that officials say they want to preserve as development approaches.
The General Plan calls for a mix of rural and suburban neighborhoods in the region, including “large-lot residential areas” and 1-acre-minimum lots as identified in the town’s land-use map. The area still includes large tracts of farmland.
