By Craig Harris | 12 News
A proposed affordable housing development in Buckeye that would bring hundreds of below-market rental homes to one of Arizona’s fastest-growing cities has stalled over a land dispute involving a longtime city council member.
Dominium, the developer behind the project, said it cannot move forward with construction until it acquires about 30 feet of land from property owned by the family of Buckeye City Councilman Tony Youngker.
The company claims Youngker, who lives on the homestead, is demanding $5 million for the 2.5 acres of the land — far more than the property’s appraised value conducted by Dominium. Meanwhile, city officials said the dispute is a private matter between the developer and the landowner.
The disagreement has delayed a project that Dominium said would provide about 375 townhomes and apartments with rents hundreds of dollars below the local market.
Developer says project would provide lower cost housing
Dominium partner Mark Lambing said the development would include approximately 375 rental units, with two-bedroom homes renting for $1,414 a month, $1,627 for three-bedroom units, and $1,806 for four-bedroom units.
According to U.S. Census Bureau data, the median gross rent in Buckeye for the past several years is about $1,963 per month.
“It ends up with the rents being significantly lower than what you would find in the market, roughly $300 to $500 a month,” Lambing said. “The cool thing with the townhomes is they all have private backyards.”
