Town pushes to expanded NW Growth Area

Jan. 29—Gilbert wants to expand its re-energizing efforts beyond the boundaries of the aging Northwest Growth Area, which boasts the largest concentration of jobs in town.

The Urban Land Institute in 2019 recommended that the town should look at a buffer radius around the employment center to ensure that deterioration and aging hadn't proliferated.

"As staff continued to compile data about the Northwest Growth Area...it became clear that the signs of maturity weren't limited to the Growth Area alone," said Amanda Elliott, Redevelopment Program manager at last week's council study session.

Elliott said the expanded boundary had nearly doubled the rate of code violation cases and that "these code compliance issues are proliferating beyond the Northwest Growth Area."

For over a decade, the town has kept a careful eye on the employment center — home to business big-weights such as GoDaddy and Northrop Grumman.

The Northwest Growth Area has only 2.3% of the town's population but supplies over 20% of the jobs, according to Elliott.

In 2018, Council directed the town to proceed with obtaining a redevelopment area designation.

The designation would allow for more flexibility, such as with zoning and building codes.

It would also open the area up for tax breaks and funding from sources such as the Community Development Block Grant program.

"This designation demonstrates that the town is committed to reinvestment within that specified boundary," Elliott said.

"It provides a focus on an area for a designated period of 10 years in which the community imparts goals and tactics to reverse or stem deteriorating trends and improve the image of an employment area or residential neighborhood."

The hope is that a concentrated vision and focus would encourage the private market to invest and ensure stability in an area no longer at its peak.

Elliott said that the public through feedback listed five top priorities for the revitalization: increase visual appeal, solve the traffic and congestion problems, maintenance and upkeep of the area, increase safety and attract in businesses.

But before staff can begin working with residents, businesses and property owners to identify the goals and tactics behind the redevelopment, a boundary must first be determined.

Elliott said that if Council agreed to allow staff to expand the boundaries, they will then discuss and gather input from stakeholders, including town commissions and the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce, to better define the area.

Once feedback has been received, staff will return to the council in May or June with a recommended boundary for action, according to Elliott.

"I think we're talking 12 to15 years we've been having these conversations," Councilwoman Kathy Tilque said. "We knew that this was going to be important to look at our aging portion of our community as we are continuing to grow in other portions of the community.

"If I had my druthers we would have started this 10 years ago."

Tilque suggested that the boundary for revitalization "actually go along the main arterials, otherwise you're cutting actual communities in half."

Councilwoman Yung Koprowski agreed that the area was long overdue for investment.

"I agree with not trying to separate different neighborhoods," she said. "But I also feel that there are some areas where you would want to make sure that you include both sides of a major roadway such as Gilbert Road.

"And now that I'm looking at this map a little bit closer, it may not even be a roadway boundary."

Koprowski suggested that the boundary follows the Consolidated Canal, a natural boundary that would not disconnect neighborhoods, and to follow the Chandler boundary to the south.

"I'm very excited to see this," Councilwoman Bobbi Buchli said "I think the timing is good."

Buchli said that she had lived right in the middle of the Northwest Growth Area for 18 years, raising her family and noticed toward the end of living there that "things were going down."

She said she would like to see the boundary extended out to Val Vista Road.

"That area and Val Vista Lakes were built around the same time and they're aging," Buchli said. "I know that it makes it a huge area but I think it would be beneficial."

Mayor Brigette Peterson said that she has been part of the revitalization effort since the beginning and wished that the town had moved on it faster. She also liked Koprowski's suggestion of a natural boundary.

"It is definitely overdue," Peterson said. "I do definitely believe we need to expand the boundaries. I've always found it so difficult to look at the boundary of the Northwest Corridor because it just doesn't make sense.

"You need to have some semblance of organization and the way it is right now, it doesn't have that. I know it happened because of how the growth happened and the timing and all of that but definitely it needs some definition."

The expanded boundary would not include the Heritage District because it already has a revitalization designation.