At a Glance
- Project: Moonlight Ridge — 157 rental townhomes on 14 acres at Hunt Highway and Trica Road
- Vote: 3-2 denial
- For denial: Supervisors Goodman, Serdy, Vitiello — cited loss of commercial land, retail leakage to Queen Creek, lack of local professional services, apartment oversupply
- Against denial: Chairman Miller, Vice-Chairman McClure — questioned whether commercial was viable given site constraints, access limitations, and shifts in retail driven by online shopping
- Current zoning: Commercial (unchanged)
The Pinal County Board of Supervisors denied a proposal to convert 14 acres of commercial land into rental townhomes in San Tan Valley. Supervisors Mike Goodman, Jeff Serdy, and Rich Vitiello voted 3-2 on December 10, 2025, to reject both the comprehensive plan amendment and rezoning for Moonlight Ridge, a proposed 157-unit rental townhome development. Chairman Stephen Miller and Vice-Chairman Jeff McClure supported approval of the rezoning. The Planning and Zoning Commission had recommended approval 5-4 in October.
The property sits immediately north of the Borgata subdivision, a 411-home single-family development under construction. Despite this adjacent residential growth, supervisors voted to keep the 14 acres zoned for commercial use.
What the Decision Means for San Tan Valley
The property at Hunt Highway and Trica Road will remain zoned for local business use. No rental housing may be built under the current zoning. The land has sat vacant for years, and its future remains uncertain.
Supervisor Mike Goodman led opposition to the project. He argued the area cannot afford to lose more commercial land. “It is a lack of commercial property. That’s a fact,” Goodman said.
Goodman cited retail leakage as his primary concern. He said San Tan Valley’s retail leakage doubled from $1.3 billion to around $2.6 billion. Adding 157 rental units would send even more shoppers to Queen Creek instead of local stores, he argued.
Commercial Property Debate Takes Center Stage
Supervisor Rich Vitiello raised the commercial property issue directly. He noted that Goodman “has been trying not to lose commercial property” for years. “Here we are taking away commercial property for more apartments,” Vitiello said.
Ray acknowledged the concern in his response. “Supervisor Goodman and I have had extensive conversations about the loss of commercial,” he said. However, he argued this particular site has too many constraints for commercial development. The mid-block location lacks the visibility and access that retailers need. Additionally, earth fissures limit the buildable area significantly.
“If we were to look at commercial, self-storage would be a fine commercial use here,” Ray said. “I don’t know that’s the commercial everyone’s looking for.”
Developer’s Argument for Housing
Porter Kyle Builders proposed 151 two-story townhomes on the site. Each unit would have three to four bedrooms and a two-car garage. The development would include a clubhouse, pool, and walking paths.
Ray explained why the property struggles as commercial land. The site has no vehicular access on its east or west sides, limiting entry to one point on Hunt Highway.
He noted commercial development already exists to the north at Ellsworth and Riggs Roads. More commercial sits southeast at Gary and Hunt Highway. The Thompson Road intersection also has commercial under development.
“I would probably equate this site to being the last kid that’s picked up at a pickup baseball game,” Ray previously told the Planning and Zoning Commission. “There’s just other sites that are better situated, better appropriate for commercial, that will go well before this site ever does.”
Supervisor Goodman’s Full Case Against the Project
Goodman presented an argument against converting commercial land. He drove through the area before the meeting to assess apartment vacancies. At a complex near Walmart, he found more than approximately 700 units “not even at 50% capacity.”
He noted multiple apartment projects either under construction or recently approved in the area. Several have not broken ground despite receiving approvals. This raised questions about market demand for more rental units.
“Commercial property is more than just retail,” Goodman emphasized. “We do not have doctor’s offices or any professional services in that San Tan Valley area.” He listed attorneys, dentists, and doctors as missing from the community.
Goodman noted a hospital operates nearby, but professionals who live in San Tan Valley still work elsewhere. “We have a lot of professional people that live in San Tan Valley that still office in Mesa because we don’t have locations for them to go to.”
Queen Creek has capitalized on this gap, according to Goodman. “Queen Creek’s done a phenomenal job in the past of actually using the demographics of San Tan Valley to bring shopping into their area,” he said. Adding more residents without commercial options would send even more dollars across the border.
Dissenting View on Commercial Viability
Chairman Stephen Miller questioned whether commercial development would ever happen on the site. He voted to approve the project along with Vice-Chairman Jeff McClure.
Miller pointed to shifts in retail driven by online shopping. “Jeff Bezos has changed the marketing and the business of retail forever in the United States,” he said.
He noted that sales tax from online purchases still benefits the community. Orders shipped to a local address generate remote sales tax for the county.
“If it sat there as commercial for a long, long time, there’s a reason,” Miller said.
Planning Commissioner Speaks as Resident
Karen Mooney serves on the Planning and Zoning Commission and lives less than a mile from the proposed development. She voted against the project in October as a commissioner. At the December Board of Supervisors meeting, she spoke during public comment as a resident.
“I’m not for any more commercial in San Tan Valley being converted to anything else besides commercial,” Mooney said. “Give us some time to grow, please.”
She challenged the developer’s claim that commercial wouldn’t work at the location. Moon Valley Nurseries sits immediately west of the site. Mooney said it “has just grown exponentially in the last couple of years since it opened.” Across the street sits a storage facility. A church and school continue expanding in the area.
“There are commercial just beyond the nursery going the other direction, San Tan Flats,” Mooney said. “I don’t agree with the statement that it’s not conducive to that.”
Traffic safety concerned her as well. The site has only one main entrance onto Hunt Highway. No traffic light is planned at the intersection.
She also noted apartment vacancy rates run between 15% and 40% in various parts of the area.
Site Challenges and Fissure Concerns
Earth fissures presented a significant development challenge. The developer’s initial site plan proposed 25-foot setbacks from fissures, though county engineering required 50 feet. Ray told the Board the project now uses a “50-foot no-build corridor.”
Ray explained the mitigation process during the hearing. Developers over-excavate fissures by about 10 feet. They install geotextile filter fiber and grid reinforcement. Structural engineered backfill and cutoff walls follow. A cement cap covers everything, and grading pushes water away.
The Borgata subdivision immediately south is also working around fissures with the 411-home single-family project currently under development.
Ray noted a 40-foot drainage easement runs along the Hunt Highway frontage. This further limits buildable area on the northern portion of the property.
Water Rules Influence Rental Decision
The Town of Queen Creek confirmed it would provide water and sewer service. A November 2024 letter stated the property lies within Queen Creek’s service boundary. The town agreed to supply domestic water and adequate fire protection.
Ray addressed why the units would be rentals instead of for-sale homes. State rules regarding assured water supplies make platting individual townhomes difficult. One owner managing fissure maintenance also made more sense than an HOA structure.
Looking Beyond the Decision
The property at Hunt Highway and Trica Road remains zoned CB-1 Local Business. No immediate development plans exist following the denial. The landowner, Morris Family Investment Group, could pursue different proposals in the future.
