PHOENIX — The Phoenix City Council voted Wednesday to change the land designation for a vacant parcel around Hurricane Harbor water park.
Lennar has submitted plans for developing about 80 acres of vacant land adjacent to the water park into a new neighborhood consisting of nearly 300 home lots. The site is located next to the 1,500-acre Adobe Dam Regional Park.
The council's resolution changes the land's General Plan classification from recreational to residential and commercial.
Some nearby residents are not pleased at the prospect of seeing this land being developed into more housing.
A group of 970 surrounding homeowners signed a letter expressing opposition to the residential project.
"This property has been designated as recreational on the Phoenix General Plan for over 40 years and we wish it to remain designated as recreational property," the letter stated.
Other residents expressed concerns about how this region of the Valley can't support an influx of traffic.
"I am gravely concerned with the effect this rapid development will have not only on the infrastructure that already can barely support those residing here, but also on the continued affordability of my home," one resident wrote in a letter of opposition.
Phoenix City Councilwoman Ann O'Brien noted how the Valley is in dire need of more housing to meet the needs of a growing population.
"We need this housing and knowing that we're not taking away existing recreational land means the community isn't losing anything but instead gaining new neighbors and new businesses," O'Brien said during Wednesday's meeting.
UP TO SPEED
What is the Valley?:
“The Valley” is what locals call the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. It is considered the largest metropolitan area in the Southwest.
The Valley is made up of various major cities other than Phoenix, including:
- Mesa
- Chandler
- Scottsdale
- Tempe
- Glendale
- Surprise
- Peoria
- Gilbert
- El Mirage
- Avondale
- Litchfield Park
- Goodyear
- Buckeye
Whether a city is in the “East Valley” or “West Valley” depends on where it is in relation to Phoenix.
The cities of the Valley have a combined population of 4,845,832 people, according to the 2020 United States Census. This makes it the 11th largest metropolitan area in the country right behind the Boston and Atlanta areas.
How big is Maricopa County?
Maricopa County is the United States’ 4th largest county in terms of population with 4,485,414 people, according to the 2020 Census.
The county contains around 63% of Arizona’s population and is 9,224 square miles. That makes the county larger than seven U.S. states (Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, Hawaii, New Jersey, Massachusetts and New Hampshire).
One of the largest park systems in the nation is also located in Maricopa County. The county has an estimated 120,000 acres of open space parks that includes hundreds of miles of trails, nature centers and campgrounds.
The county’s seat is located in Phoenix, which is also the state capital and the census-designated 5th most populous city in the United States.
The county was named after the Maricopa, or Piipaash, Native American Tribe.
