Major development in progress south of Maricopa

A 1,000-acre parcel south of Maricopa could be the site of one of the next major housing projects around the city.

Tempe-based W Holdings, which currently manages about 40,000 acres and 35,000 potential home sites around Arizona, is looking to develop the Midway project on vacant farmland at the northwest corner of Louis Johnson Blvd. and John Wayne Parkway. The land currently is under Pinal County zoning control but could be annexed by Maricopa.

According to Maricopa’s Chief Economic Development Officer Nathan Steele, since the Midway development is located outside of the incorporated limits of the city, Maricopa currently does not play any role in its approvals. Steele said the project was entitled as a master planned community by Pinal County.

The current underlying Comprehensive Plan Land Use designation for the community is Moderate Low Density Residential, which consists of one to 3.5 homes per acre. The site lies near the intersection of two significant travel corridors, State Route 347 and the planned West Pinal Freeway, which would run from SR 238 southeast, then parallel SR 84 before turning south to connect with Interstate 8 at Montgomery Road.

If the site had a density of two homes per acre, that would total 2,000 homes and about 5,200 residents in the development. At 3.5 homes per acre those numbers would be 3,500 homes and 9,100 people.

Planning documents state that developers believe commercial and mixed-use aspects of the project should be concentrated along the two major transportation routes – SR 347 and the future West Pinal Freeway – and that the location of such uses near that intersection will best align the community with current market trends and future code updates.

W Holdings did not respond to multiple requests for comment on this story.