Hidden Valley residents sound off on new development

Dozens of Hidden Valley residents attended an open house at Ak-Chin Circle’s Elements Event Center last night to sound off about a new development proposed for the area.

Hosted by Rose Law Group on behalf of Phoenix-based developer CVL Consultants, the open house provided information about rezoning 595 acres of land on the southwest corner of Amarillo Valley and Val Vista Roads for a new subdivision called Rio Blanco Ranch.

Locals were not pleased.

‘A different lifestyle than what we have’

Multiple residents declined to be interviewed but believed Rio Blanco Ranch could bring many problems to the area, including traffic, water access and a disruption to the desert environment.

Dean Ashbaucher, who lives across from the proposed development, said traffic for an additional 2,000 people on rural roads was a concern.

“This is going to be quite a different lifestyle than what we have,” he said. “What got my attention was when the letter said more than 2,000 homes. That’s going to be dense because those are small lots. The traffic out of here is going to be crazy.”

Jordan Rose, president of the Rose Law Group, acknowledged most residents seemed concerned about the project but believes it aligns with the county’s current density guidelines.

“I know that we are developing within the density guidelines of the already approved Pinal County Comp Plan and not trying to change that to allow for more homes per acre,” Rose toldInMaricopa.

Thousands of new homes

The developer asked Pinal County’s planning department to rezone the area from one limited to single residences and small businesses to medium-density residential. If approved, the rezoning could allow CVL Consultants to move forward with planning and construction in the coming years.

The 595 acres would provide room for up to three residences per acre, or about 2,081 lots, as well as drainage easements, community parks and a small commercial area. Lot sizes range from 4,800 feet to 6,000 square feet.

House plans were not yet available, but Rose said the developerwants “an agrarian theme and elements that will complement the more rural way of life.”

Ashbaucher said while he would miss seeing agricultural fields from his backyard, he didn’t see progress stopping any time soon.

“Maybe I’m a fatalist,” Ashbaucher said. “But it seems to me that once developers want to develop an area, they’ll do it whether you like it or not. It’s going to happen but it’s nice to have the warning.”