(Disclosure: Rose Law Group represents Emmerson Holdings.)
By Roland Murphy | AZBEX
A collection of owners led by Emmerson Holdings has requested a rezoning of 880 acres in Surprise to allow the development of a new master-planned community called Desert Trails. The Surprise Planning and Zoning Commission will hear the requests March 21st.
The Desert Trails property lies on both sides of Deer Valley Road between 219th Avenue and the alignment of 211th Avenue. The northern boundary sits on the Pinnacle Peak alignment, and the southern is generally half-a-mile south of Deer Valley. The property is currently zoned Planned Area Development and Rural Residential. The current request asks for rezoning to Traditional Neighborhood Development so future plans for the property will align with the recently adopted Surprise Development Ordinance.
Under the 2035 General Plan Map, the property is designated as a mix of neighborhood uses and vacant land, and there are no currently functioning uses on the site.
According to the submitted narrative, “The property is currently zoned Planned Area Development (PAD) within the City of Surprise. With the City’s newly adopted Land Development Ordinance (LDO), PAD is no longer an applicable zoning district. While PADs still exist within the City, staff has urged developers to transition to the new LDO as amendments are considered to existing PADs. As such, the Desert Trails project is proposing to rezone to Traditional Neighborhood District (TND), which was recommended by staff as the most appropriate zoning district for this property.”
