Miami-based Lennar Corp. has pitched an ambitious master-planned community in Gilbert, Arizona, a development that would mark the firm's entry into one of Phoenix's fastest-growing cities as it expands across the nation.
The firm is proposing the development of 1,759 homes and some retail uses on 300 acres in South Gilbert, but it will likely need to make adjustments before receiving final approval.
The community would bring 1,033 single-family homes to the southeast corner of Val Vista Drive and Germann Road. Lennar is looking to rezone that land to allow it to build a higher-density community that would also include 726 multifamily units, a grocery store and other retail shops alongside the new homes in Harvest Grove.
In a study session in front of the Gilbert Planning Commission on June 4, commissioners expressed concerns over the increased housing density, congested traffic and not being in line with the neighborhood's character area plan.
"I know there has been a lot of urbanization that's happened over the years in the Santan character area ... [but] to pay homage to the past and to our agrarian, historical-type roots, we want to make sure that this area is not as dense as certain other areas in the town," said Keith Newman, a senior planner with Gilbert who presented the project to the commission.
Should the project move forward, Harvest Grove would be the builder’s first in the town of Gilbert. At the end of May, the median single-family sales price in South Gilbert was $775,000, up 7% from a year earlier, according to Homes.com data.
Density concerns
The project location targets a density of about two and a half to three dwelling units per acre. Project documents show the 1,759 total units proposed represent a density of nearly six dwelling units per acre, prompting concern from some commissioners.
"Our town is getting more and more congested with the traffic with more population — that's just the nature of how this is — but we have an opportunity here to make this not only work for existing residents but future residents," said Commissioner Raymond Huang. "I strongly encourage that [the developer] works out some of these details when this pushes forward."
Lennar could not be immediately reached for comment. No action was taken at the June 4 meeting, and the project will likely be presented again to the commission for final consideration.
Project documents show a grocery store, small retail shops, multifamily and townhomes — in addition to the single-family homes — are eyed for the new master-planned community. Additionally, trails and paths, linking neighborhoods, parks and open spaces are planned for Harvest Grove.
The land is owned by Scottsdale-based Zinke Investments LLC. Tempe-based ABLA is the community planner and landscape architect, while Colliers Engineering & Design is the project’s civil engineer.
Phoenix, US expansion
The 311 acres that Harvest Grove would be built on currently sit as vacant farmland. Lennar sees the land as a “significant development opportunity” for the homebuilder as the area has seen “substantial growth, with a diverse mix of employment, commercial, public facilities and residential uses,” over the last 15 years, according to project documents.
Harvest Grove would be developed in multiple phases to align with “market demands, infrastructure availability and engineering findings,” according to project documents.
Publicly held Lennar is the nation’s second-largest homebuilder based on 80,210 sales last year, according to Builder Magazine. Lennar has 19 active Phoenix-area communities, according to its website and looks to continue bolstering its presence locally. In April, the homebuilder won more than 20 acres in Peoria for $8.7 million at a competitive Arizona State Land Department auction.
Lennar recently expanded into New York state as it broke ground on a housing development in Tuxedo, New York, that will bring single-family homes, townhouses, and a shopping center.