West Thirty Six

General

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What is West Thirty Six?

West Thirty Six is 492-acre property located near the southeast corner of Rio Verde Drive and 176th Street that Toll Brothers and Shea Homes are proposing to develop as a resort-style master-planned community. Current plans for the proposed luxury community include no more than 1,200 detached, single-family residential homes on a variety of lot sizes, and a wide range of lifestyle amenities.

What size will the lots and homes be?

Similar to the Trilogy at Verde River community across the street, West Thirty Six will feature lot sizes ranging from 6,000 to over 15,000 square feet. The associated homes will range from 1,500 to over 4,000 square feet, will be limited to one story, and will come in a variety of distinctive architectural styles.

What is the approval process for the project?

Generally, the approval process includes obtaining approval from Maricopa County to amend the previously approved Development Master Plan (DMP) and rezone the property from R-43 to R1-6 RUPD and C-2 CUPD. Thereafter the County would have to approve a Preliminary Plat for the community and then Final Plats and Final Improvement Plans for each phase of development. Other necessary approvals include obtaining a Certificate of Assured Water Supply from the AZ Department of Water Resources, approval of a Conditional Letter of Map Revision by Maricopa County Flood Control District and FEMA, and issuance of a Clean Water Act permit by the Army Corp of Engineers. .

What is the project timeline?

The project team anticipates the timeline from initiation of the rezoning to final plat approvals and start of construction to be about 18 to 24 months. Thereafter the project will be constructed in multiple phases over the course of several years. Models will be open and home sales started approximately 18 months after the initial start of construction and from there subsequent phases will be constructed as dictated by demand. Current projections indicate full build-out in 2033.

Why do you need to amend the previously approved Development Master Plan (DMP)?

A DMP for the property (previously referenced as “Tonto Vista” and “Verde River”) was originally approved by the Board of Supervisors in 1983 and subsequently amended in 1986 and 1991. The last version of this DMP stipulated 474 single-family housing units, 132 multi-family units, and a thirty-six-hole golf course. Accordingly, an amendment to the DMP is now being proposed to 1) reflect changes in the housing market and consumer preferences that have occurred over the last 30 years, 2) remove the multi-family component, and most importantly, 3) remove the 2 golf courses.

Why do you need to rezone the property?

The rezoning from R-43 to R1-6 RUPD and C-2 is necessary to implement the luxury, resort-style master-planned community envisioned by Shea Homes and Toll Brothers and as reflected in the proposed DMP amendment. The proposed R1-6 RUPD zoning stipulates a minimum % mix of 4 different minimum lot sizes thereby providing the flexibility to mix lot sizes throughout the community (vs. segregating the community by lot size) while ensuring that the desired diversity of lot sizes (ranging from 6,000 to over 15,000 square feet) is implemented. The zoning also proposes a 1,200 lot cap and to restrict all homes to a single story.

Water & Sewer

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How is this project getting water?

Similar to the other master-planned communities in the area, Rio Verde West Thirty Six falls within the existing service area (CC&N) of EPCOR’s Rio Verde Utility Water District and accordingly will receive water service from EPCOR. The physical, continuous, and legal availability of the development’s required supply of water for 100 years must be proven to Arizona Department of Water Resources, which will issue to the project a Certificate of Assured Water Supply once such evidence is provided to the agency.

How does the RVU District get its water?

EPCOR’s RVU Water District produces water from a series of deep and shallow wells, some of which are near the Verde River and some of which are farther away. Because of the proximity of some of its wells to the river, the RVU District and Salt River Project work under an exchange agreement by which the two entities cooperate regarding water source and characteristics to ensure stability of the water supply.

Will this impact Rio Verde’s, Tonto Verde’s, or Trilogy’s water supplies?

It is the water utility’s responsibility to ensure that it has sufficient water resources to serve its CCN. EPCOR’s RVU District has and is in the process of expanding its water supply to ensure sufficient resources to serve each of the developments in its service area. A comprehensive hydrogeological study was recently completed and submitted to ADWR for review and approval. The study included the entire Fountain Hills Sub-Basin, (in which West Thirty Six, Rio Verde, Tonto Verde, and Trilogy are located). The study found there is sufficient groundwater in the sub-basin to meet ADWR’s 100-year supply requirement for existing users and the West Thirty Six project. In other words, the projected demand over the 100-year period does not cause draw down of the aquifer in excess of the ADWR standard.

What is the project timeline?

Will this project increase my utility rates?

As development occurs within a utility’s CCN, the developer is expected to pay for the expansion and extension of the infrastructure for the new development. West Thirty Six will pay these costs just as did other developments. Utility rates are not anticipated to increase due to the addition of the West Thirty Six project in the EPCOR RVU District.

Will this project impact my private well within Rio Verde Foothills?

Given the complex nature of the area’s subsurface geology, particularly on the western periphery of the sub-basin, and unknown operational characteristics of the private wells therein, it is extremely difficult to predict the impact to any individual private well, let alone the degree to which any such impact is caused by the West Thirty Six project vs. an adjacent private well, other developments, or changes in the sub-basin over time. The recently completed hydrology report does not reveal that the West Thirty Six project will cause a significant drawdown on private wells in the basin. Practically speaking, the RVU district wells operate on the eastern edge of Rio Verde, miles from Rio Verde Foothills.

Will West Thirty Six be served by sewer or will it be on septic?

West Thirty Six will tie into Epcor’s RVU wastewater collection and treatment system. This allows all of the wastewater generated by the project to be recycled and reused as effluent.

Does the existing Epcor treatment plant have capacity for West Thirty Six?

Currently the plant does not have capacity for West Thirty Six once it is at full build-out. However, West Thirty Six will pay its fair share to build additional capacity while modernizing and updating the plant.

Traffic/Circulation

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Will West Thirty Six be gated?

Yes, West Thirty Six will feature a manned guard gate at the primary entrance.

Will the project have any entrance or exit points into my neighborhood?

The project’s primary entrances and exits will be on Rio Verde Drive, although there could be a handful of emergency accessways along 176th Street. The number and locations of these would be determined during the preliminary platting process.

How do you intend to address traffic and congestion?

Traffic Impact Analysis (TIA) has been prepared by a professional traffic engineer in accordance with MCDOT requirements and has been submitted with the rezoning request. The TIA assesses current traffic conditions, models the impacts from the West Thirty Six project, and recommends any improvements necessary to mitigate unacceptable impacts. Typically, the recommend improvements are then included as stipulations of approval.

What improvements do you expect to be made?

Nothing is certain until the TIA is approved by the County, but based on known requirements we do expect that the project’s primary entrance will require widening for EB right-in turn lane, EB right-out acceleration lane, and WB left-in turn lane. Additionally, we expect West Thirty Six will improve the east half of 176th Street along the project’s frontage.

Amenities and Community Features

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What kind of amenities are proposed?

Current amenity programming includes a social club, food and beverage facilities, fitness, spa, and wellness facilities, pools, a pickleball complex and other outdoor sports, and miles of trails.

Will the amenities be accessible to other local residents?

The amenities are primarily intended for the use of West Thirty Six’s residents but certain features, such as the restaurant(s) and bar(s) and spa could be open to the public.

Will there be a golf course?

No. Despite the current DMP including approval for a thirty-six-hole golf course, the currently proposed amendment to the DMP seeks to remove the golf course.

What impact will the development have onlighting at night?

A: Both Shea Homes and Toll Brothers recognize the value of minimizing unnecessary light pollution and are committed to incorporating the International Dark-Sky Association’s 5 Principles for Responsible Outdoor Lighting in the West Thirty Six project.

Will this community be age-restricted?

A: The community, by way of amenity programming, marketing, and housing products, will be age-targeted. And while it is likely that some portions of the community will be age-restricted, at this time there are no plans to age-restrict the entire community.