Key Points
- What happened: The Pinal County Planning and Zoning Commission voted on four items for a proposed 240-unit apartment complex and daycare center on 12.45 acres in San Tan Valley. Only one item passed.
- The vote breakdown: Commissioners approved severing the property from an existing development district (5-3), but failed to reach majority decisions on the comprehensive plan amendment, rezoning, and development standards needed for construction.
- What’s next: The proposal advances to the Board of Supervisors without planning commission recommendations on the key development components.
- The controversy: Staff received 930 opposition letters versus 88 support letters, with opponents mainly from the adjacent Encanterra community citing crime, traffic, height, and commercial land preservation concerns.
- The proposal: Wolff Enterprises III LLC wants to build ten three-story buildings (34 feet 10 inches tall) with a WonderWise daycare facility on land currently zoned for commercial use.
- Key issues: Debate centered on preserving commercial land in San Tan Valley, addressing childcare shortages, providing workforce housing, and managing traffic impacts on already congested roads.
- Developer changes: Following public input, the company reduced the project from 288 to 240 units, cut building square footage by 30%, and increased setbacks from neighboring homes.
Multi-family and daycare complex moves forward despite strong opposition from Encanterra residents
A contentious proposal to build 240 apartment units and a daycare center on 12.45 acres at the northeast corner of Gantzel Road and Algarve Place in San Tan Valley advanced through the Pinal County Planning and Zoning Commission on June 19th after approximately four hours of debate in a packed meeting room.
The commission voted on four separate agenda items related to the Homestead Mixed-Use development. Commissioners approved the first item, which severs the property from the existing Circle Cross Ranch Planned Area Development, by a 5-3 vote. However, the remaining three items—a comprehensive plan amendment, rezoning, and new planned area development (PAD) overlay—all failed to receive majority support. The comprehensive plan amendment received no recommendation after failing both a 4-4 denial vote and a 3-5 approval vote. The rezoning failed 4-4, and the PAD overlay failed 3-5.
The mixed results mean the Pinal County Board of Supervisors will consider the proposal without planning commission recommendations for the key development components. While the property successfully separated from the existing PAD, the developer still needs board approval for the land use changes, rezoning, and development standards necessary to build the apartment complex and daycare facility.
Staff received 930 letters of opposition and 88 letters of support for the project prior to the meeting. The Town of Queen Creek formally opposed the development, while one Florence City Council member supported it.
The Development Details
Wolff Enterprises III LLC proposed ten three-story residential buildings with a maximum height of 34 feet 10 inches on 10.9 acres, along with a 1.56-acre commercial daycare facility operated by WonderWise childcare provider. The development would feature 120 one-bedroom and 120 two-bedroom units at a density of 22 dwelling units per acre.
The project would not be gated and includes amenities such as a centralized clubhouse with fitness center, community pool, dog park, and BBQ dining areas. Parking would provide 1.85 spaces per unit, totaling 444 spaces.
Surrounding Area Context
The site sits adjacent to the Encanterra golf community to the east, separated by a 125-foot electrical transmission corridor and existing block wall. According to the developer’s presentation, the proposed buildings would be setback 210-250 feet from Encanterra homes. Encanterra includes some age-restricted sections but is not entirely age-restricted. To the west lies Gantzel Road and The Meadows East single-family community. The Pinal Professional Medical Plaza with 17 medical offices sits immediately north, while pending development south of Algarve Place includes a gas station, drive-through retail, and additional medical offices.
The property was previously used for agriculture, with Encanterra resident Pat Aritz noting during public comment that “it was being farmed until last year. There was cotton farms.”
San Tan Urban Core Development
The proposal comes as Pinal County recently approved the San Tan Valley Urban Core Large Master Planned Community District covering 3,200 acres southeast of the site. This massive development, unanimously approved by the Board of Supervisors in February 2025, will include residential, mixed-use, employment centers, regional commerce, and retail.
Applicant representative Tom Galvin argued that this larger urban core development would provide all the commercial services residents need, making the smaller 12-acre site less important for commercial use. He suggested the urban core would offer retail and commerce “on a much more substantial level” than what could be built on their site.
However, Commissioner Mooney challenged this argument, pointing out that the urban core development “is years away” and would take so long to build that she might not see it completed in her lifetime. She argued against using a distant future development to justify the current rezoning request, expressing concern about the loss of commercially-zoned land in the area.
Water Supply Concerns
Commissioner Karen Mooney raised concerns about water requirements, questioning why apartments don’t require certificates of assured water supply like subdivisions do.
“Can the County explain, there’s not a certificate of assured water for apartments versus developing HOAs and other single family homes and things like that,” Mooney said. “That’s concerning because there have been lots of water issues. So I’m just asking why the County doesn’t require it for 240 apartments or any complex that is apartment related.”
Planning Manager Harvey Krauss responded: “That’s State law. We just follow State law in regards to the assured water supply.”
Traffic Impact Analysis
The development’s traffic study, conducted by consultant Paul Basha, used actual traffic counts rather than computer-generated data. The analysis compared the proposed mixed-use development against potential commercial alternatives.
According to the study, retail development would generate 9,336 to 12,777 daily trips compared to 963 to 2,027 trips for the multifamily and childcare combination—representing 55% to 91% less daily traffic. Medical office development would generate 1,516 to 4,619 daily trips, still 25% to 67% more than the proposed use.
“We did traffic counts at the site prior to beginning our study,” Basha testified. “We did turning movement counts for 24 hours in 15 minute intervals” during high-volume weekdays.
The developers proposed road improvements including a third northbound lane on Gantzel Road, two deceleration lanes for site access, and a new right-turn lane on Algarve Place.
Public Support and Opposition
Opposition came primarily from Encanterra residents concerned about traffic, building height, property values, and crime. A major theme among opponents was the need to preserve commercial land in San Tan Valley rather than converting it to residential use.
Commissioner Daren Schnepf, who ultimately voted against most items, expressed this concern: “The heartache out there in San Tan Valley is seeing all the commercial be converted from commercial to other uses. And what is San Tan Valley lacking? Commercial… The spending is not being done in San Tan Valley, it’s going to Queen Creek. And it’s going to Mesa.”
Commissioner Mooney, who lives in San Tan Valley, echoed these concerns: “192 acres of commercial have been converted to mixed use and single family homes since 2017. San Tan Valley has just been like the catch all, put a piece of Velcro on, throw and see what sticks where and that’s kind of what’s happened.”
Opposition themes included:
- Traffic congestion on already dangerous roads
- Loss of commercial tax revenue opportunities and need to preserve commercial land
- Building height and visual impact
- Crime and security concerns
- Strain on infrastructure
- Concerns about becoming a “dormitory for Maricopa County”
Supporting organizations:
- Entryway Arizona (nonprofit)
- Pinal Regional Partnership Council/First Things First
- Arizona Nurses Association
- Saint Holdings LLC (commercial real estate developer)
- Pinal Professional Offices
Dawn Wilkinson with Enhancing Early Childhood testified about workforce barriers: “I was at the Arizona Workforce Development Summit earlier this week and they identified three main barriers for the workforce development. First was childcare. Second was housing. Third was transportation. We have the opportunity to address two of those three barriers with this project.”
Developer Concessions
Following neighborhood meetings, Wolff Enterprises III LLC made significant changes to address opposition concerns:
- Reduced buildings from 12 to 10
- Decreased units from 288 to 240 (reduction of 216 bedrooms)
- Cut total residential square footage by 30% (92,784 square feet)
- Increased open space from 19% to 28%
- Enhanced building setbacks by an additional 22 feet from Encanterra
- Added 67% more screening trees along the eastern property line
- Moved the main Gantzel entrance 131 feet north to reduce traffic on Algarve
Childcare Desert
The proposal addresses what officials call a “childcare desert” in Pinal County, with a 72% gap between children needing care and available licensed spaces.
“San Tan Valley has been designated as a childcare desert with a 72 percent gap between the number of children needing care and the number of licensed spaces available,” said Dawn Wilkinson. “That means nearly three out of every four children who need care simply don’t have access to it.”
WonderWise childcare provider owner Andrea Gillespie explained the facility would serve approximately 200 families: “All three of our centers are at full capacity with multiple pages of wait lists. It’s heartbreaking to turn these families away.”
Gillespie clarified this would not be subsidized childcare: “This is not subsidized childcare, this is just plain old childcare that there is just not enough of in our community.”
Housing Market Analysis
Economic analyst Leo Velasquez from Elliott D. Pollack & Company testified that among workers in occupations like fast food, retail, and nursing, only 25% can afford current rental housing on single incomes, compared to 35% who could afford the proposed Homestead apartments. The development targets rents between $1,300-$1,800 monthly.
“Based on the current rental market only using those wages, only 25 percent of those people would be able to afford the current level,” Velasquez said. “Meaning with a single income, only 25 percent of them would do that, compared to the 35 percent on the homestead apartments.”
The analysis found most new rental housing consists of expensive build-to-rent single-family homes rather than traditional apartments, creating a gap for essential workers.
Riley, a 22-year-old resident, supported the project: “I’ve been looking for an affordable home now for five years and with all the new apartment buildings and the home listings and condos available in the area, I get my hopes up each time and have been disappointed by the cost.”
Crime and Safety Concerns
Encanterra residents expressed security worries, particularly about trespassing and facility use in their gated community. Residents described ongoing problems with non-residents using their amenities.
Michael O’Connor, an Encanterra resident, testified: “Currently, we have to have an extra staff member at each pool sit there all day long because we have other people coming from outside of our community to come use our pools. We have a beautiful community, everybody wants to come in there. So we have to have extra people on staff now just to make sure that you have a member card and you belong there.”
Steve Evans, an Encanterra resident, raised security concerns about the development, arguing it would place a higher burden on emergency services due to its lower-income housing component
Wolff Enterprises III LLC addressed these concerns by offering discount programs for essential workers including teachers, police, firefighters, and first responders. The company also includes crime addendums in leases allowing three-day evictions for criminal activity.
Commercial Viability Debate
Tom Galvin, representing the applicant, argued the 12.45-acre site cannot support viable retail development due to its location and size constraints.
“This site has been vacant for almost 20 years because of its challenging location and really not a good size for commercial use,” Galvin said. “It’s not on a prominent intersection where retail is essential. There’s no room for big box anchor where retail is essential.”
Property owner Jerry Cochran, whose company owns adjacent commercial land, supported the proposal: “This site is a C-minus commercial site. We’ve had CVS turn it down, we’ve had Aldi turn it down. It’s not ideal. It doesn’t have major intersections going both directions.”
However, Commissioner Mooney, who lives in San Tan Valley, disagreed: “San Tan Valley has plenty of apartments right now. We have approximately 3,000 apartments and 11 percent vacancy right now in the multifamily apartments. 192 acres of commercial have been converted to mixed use and single family homes since 2017.”
Public Comments
The commission heard from numerous residents during the public hearing, with the vast majority opposing the project. Staff reported receiving 930 letters of opposition and 88 letters of support for the development.
Pat Aritz, an Encanterra resident, referenced the county’s retail leakage study: “The more rooftops we add, we’re not adding jobs. We’re not adding anything. We are becoming a dormitory for Maricopa County, and that is not what we’re supposed to be.”
Several residents raised infrastructure concerns. Pat Aritz noted “359 accidents in less than a year at three intersections” while Doug Herzberg warned that with massive subdivisions already under construction, “By the time the roads get widened, we’re going to probably have another 20,000-30,000 people.”
Steve Feller objected to the proposed density, stating: “This density now is 22 units an acre. It’s higher than anything around. It’s a ridiculous number of units… The highest one around is 16 units an acre.”
Margaret Bubek from the Compassion Care Center supported the project: “Working as an intake specialist at the care center, I can say with absolute certainty, the need for affordable housing is real, and it is urgent.”
Teacher Elsa Costello emphasized the childcare need: “I am compelled to travel over 40 minutes from my residence to drop off my two children at childcare. It is imperative that we have more childcare options available for working families.”
Commission Vote and Next Steps
The failed votes mean the Board of Supervisors will consider the remaining three agenda items without a commission recommendation. The severance from the Circle Cross PAD was approved and will advance with staff’s recommended stipulations. The Board of Supervisors will make the final decision on all items at a future meeting.
Since your article did not properly represent the opposition points that I have put forth over and over, I feel an article truly pointing out our position is in order. Our opposition Is not based on crime or Height but on severe Traffic situations , a gross saturation of apartments, a high vacancy rate and the long range future of San Tan Valley. The opposition issues were written off as Encanterra resident issues.