Commission continues Sanctuary Phase 1 preliminary plat to get traffic-engineer briefing on emergency access

The Planning and Zoning Commission on June 9 continued action on the preliminary plat for Sanctuary Phase 1, a proposed 339‑lot single‑family subdivision on about 83.02 gross acres at the northeast corner of North Hartman Road and West Maricopa‑Casa Grande Highway.

Derek Shearer of the planning department said the application by CBL Consultants on behalf of Maricopa Hartman LLP conforms with the Sanctuary PAD and the general plan and that phase 1 would yield a gross density of about 4.08 dwelling units per acre with lot sizes ranging from 40 by 120 feet to 50 by 120 feet. The proposed phase includes a primary 5.59‑acre amenity park and multiple pocket parks, and staff said pedestrian trail connections were included to link interior sidewalks to exterior routes toward Hartman Road.

A central issue at the hearing was access. Staff and the applicant described the main vehicular access coming off North Hartman Road; a future spine road through phase 2 would provide an additional main connection when built. For the immediate phase, the plan calls for an all‑weather emergency access to Maricopa‑Casa Grande Highway; the city engineer and staff agreed the emergency access met standards for an interim condition, and the roadway improvement of the full spine is planned with phase 2.

Several commissioners and members of the public pressed on the safety and practicality of relying on an emergency access as the secondary point of access if later phases are delayed or not built. Commissioner Clube and others said the public could be left with a single regular access point for thousands of residents if build‑out stalls; CBL and CVL representatives said the traffic study and city engineer indicated the proposed access configuration is adequate for the phase as submitted. Alex Caraveo of CVL, the applicant’s representative, said the city engineer agreed that the improvements proposed for phase 1 were adequate given current construction feasibility and costs.

After discussion the commission voted to continue the item so staff could arrange for a traffic engineer or the city engineer to attend and brief commissioners specifically on the all‑weather emergency access standard and the thresholds that would require construction of the full spine road. The motion to continue passed; the applicant and staff may return with the engineer’s briefing and any requested clarifications about thresholds, road‑improvement triggers and maintenance responsibilities.

Key plan figures confirmed in the meeting: approximately 339 single‑family lots on 83.02 acres (gross), gross density ~4.08 dwelling units per acre, lot widths of 40, 45 and 50 feet, a main amenity park of about 5.59 acres, primary access from North Hartman Road, and an emergency all‑weather secondary access off Maricopa‑Casa Grande Highway that the city engineer has preliminarily accepted for the phase as proposed.