Meeting last night went well. If you missed it- there was a recommendation for them to create a website to share the PowerPoint (including traffic and zoning comparisons of BP and Light industrial as well as allowable uses)  and I’ve suggest a FAQ on the website for everyone review. I’ve also asked for a message box and a suggestion box. They are sincerely trying to find solutions to the major issues around truck traffic coming out onto the light at Germann. More to come as they get this site up running. The plan is for this to go to vote at city council in Dec. until then we want to get as many changes and updates into the plan prior to the vote as it’s easier to make changes beforehand rather than after. At the end of the day- this land will sell and the zoning will have to changed due to the vacant and poor performance of business park zoning and the companies moving to remote work. There are many vacant business parks already built at Gilbert and the 202 which have been sitting. The proposal does include a high end patio style restaurant near the park right by the freeway and a pathway from Germann cutting through the property to the restaurant and the park. There are already a lot of other mixed use developments planned at Valvista and Germann and apartments going up all over the area near by. Condos or housing are a hard sell directly at the freeway and this property is located in an area that was already intended by the city master plan as a development zone. Essentially, it’s not a huge shift to add a light industrial to the plan. The types of businesses they will attract are not high volume distribution such as Amazon. This is more of research and development for large businesses like  aerospace parts or other business with a need for production and storage and a show room. Keep in mind- this is a $300-$350M development and will require LARGE rents which will weed out a lot of undesirable businesses. The designs for the buildings will look nothing like most light industrial buildings in the valley, this brings high quality look and hidden bays so the appearance to the community will be more business park and show room style glass fronts. We are also wanting to create something called “Deed Restrictions” prohibiting certain uses that would normally be allowed in light industrial zones (hemp production, industrial or unsafe waste for example) and “stipulations” that say you can change the zoning if you do these things, hence why our engagement is so important so we can get these recommendations to the developers to consider. The deed restrictions follow the property and are very difficult to change and make the community and council vote process start over again, in case they do decided to sell it. The plan is for the developers to hold this property with JP Morgan Chase as an investment for 40 years as part of their portfolio. Much like something you might have in your 401k option if you used JP investments. This is how the funding is being provided. Either way- the elephant in the room is trucking- they are working toward a solution. More to come..