Council considers rezoning of 19.3 acres on Phoenix Parkway as residents and advocates debate land‑use tradeoffs

Jeffrey Schreier, an in‑house engineer for Lombardo Homes, presented a proposal on March 12 to rezone about 19.3 acres at 8100 Phoenix Parkway from HTC PUD (high‑tech corridor planned unit development) to R‑1 single‑family residential.

Schreier told the council the parcel has been vacant for decades and said Lombardo would likely yield roughly 30 lots on the site. He said the developer intends to donate about 2.7 acres along Phoenix Parkway to the city for a park. Schreier noted the property has been owned by the applicant entity since 2003 and that topography and market interest have limited commercial development of the parcel.

Public concerns and fiscal questions: Arnie C, the city public advocate, argued rezoning additional high‑tech corridor land reduces the city’s commercial tax base and criticized the absence of a financial impact analysis. On the record he said the city is “top heavy residential versus commercial opportunities,” asked why a fiscal analysis was not provided to planning staff, and warned council about potential long‑term revenue impacts.

School capacity and neighborhood effects were raised by councilmembers and speakers; the applicant said he had not yet completed outreach to the school district and that preliminary estimates suggest about 30 lots, limiting student generation. The applicant also asked that the council consider the long history of unsuccessful commercial proposals for the parcel and noted nearby vacant commercial land that could absorb nonresidential uses.

Council action: Council introduced Bill 7847 to rezone the property to R‑1 single‑family residential. No final vote was held on March 12; the matter will return for further review. Councilmembers asked staff to provide additional fiscal and school‑capacity analysis before final action is taken.