Plans for a new 150-acre housing project called Sunrise Ranch are moving forward, according to documents filed with the city that were released to InMaricopa yesterday.

The development just west of Green Road along State Route 238 would transform a long-vacant industrial site into a residential neighborhood featuring more than 500 homes.

The subdivision is proposed immediately to the west of Moonlight Ridge, another new neighborhood that sold its first home during a grand opening event April 12.

Sunrise Ranch project developer Dozerland of Lincoln, Neb., proposes rezoning the site from industrial to various residential designations. The mix of zoning would allow for a variety of single-family and multifamily housing options, including townhomes, cluster homes and more traditional detached residences.

According to planning documents, the site would feature 518 housing units spread across five parcels, along with 40 acres dedicated to open space. That open space would include pedestrian trails, landscaped greenbelts, natural drainage areas and parks.

Developers said in the documents that the goal of Sunrise Ranch is to meet growing housing demand in Maricopa with a walkable community that blends housing variety with thoughtful design. The plan incorporates traffic-calming measures, shaded pedestrian corridors and thematic elements inspired by the desert and agricultural heritage of the region.

Access to the neighborhood would come via multiple connections to Smith-Enke Road. Two roundabouts are planned. Water and sewer service would be provided by Global Water’s Palo Verde Utilities. The development is expected to be built in multiple phases starting in the northeast portion of the site.

Most of the area is earmarked for medium-density residential use. A portion of the site would require an amendment to allow high-density residential development.