Development Near Anthem Gets One Thumbs Down
A proposal to build 170 new homes on private land in the City of Phoenix tangential to the northwest corner of Anthem, near the Post Office, hit an early hurdle May 14 when the Rio Vista Planning Committee voted 5-1 to deny a rezoning request.
Residents in Anthem and New River had several objections to the so-called Riverview proposal, centering largely around safety. There would be only one way in and out of the development, along 43rd Avenue, which is already busy, and some of the homes would be built on up to 5 feet of fill in the floodplain of the New River wash.
Committee members largely agreed with both objections.
“I can’t support this,” said committee member Loyd Nygaard, who lives in Anthem’s Arroyo Grande neighborhood on the west side of the wash, southwest of the proposed development.
The rezoning request is slated to go before the Phoenix Planning Commission June 6. That commission will take the Rio Vista group’s vote under consideration but is not bound by it. Any ultimate approval would rest with the Phoenix City Council if the proposal gets through the Planning Commission.
