A controversial affordable housing project inside Chandler received a vote of support from Maricopa County officials on Thursday, signaling the project will start chugging ahead once again despite overwhelming resident opposition inside of Chandler.The developer at the receiving end of the backlash is Dominium. It’s a nationwide company that focuses exclusively on building affordable housing complexes, including in multiple Valley cities from Goodyear to Mesa to south Phoenix.It wants to develop a complex called Sonoran Landings at a 23-acre site along Ocotillo Road near Arizona Avenue in Chandler. The property is what’s called a “county island,” which means it is under Maricopa County’s jurisdiction even though it’s within Chandler’s city borders.Sonoran Landings would have 218 low-income housing units available exclusively to residents who are 55 and over. Caretakers who are at least 40 can also live with an eligible senior on-site, and the income rules remain the same.It has received relentless pushback from Chandler residents since Dominium first pitched the project in 2023, with opponents voicing concern over everything from increased traffic to fears of criminal activity at the complex. Chandler’s City Council even passed a resolution last year opposing the development, and on Monday made clear it would not allow Dominium to use municipal utilities for the site.Not in my backyard:Metro Phoenix needs housing, but new apartments face angry oppositionBut on Thursday morning, the Maricopa County Planning and Zoning Commission voted 5-1 to support Dominium’s request to change the property’s zoning to allow for the construction of apartment units — the first step towards making the most recent version of the long-contested project a reality.”Apartments just get a bad stigma,” said commission Chairman Lucas Schlosser, who voted ‘yes’ after explaining the complex would not be an eyesore. “You wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between an affordable housing complex and the A-class apartments.”Maricopa County’s Board of Supervisors will make the final decision on whether to greenlight the project. They are expected to vote on the zoning change sometime next month, according to a Dominium spokesperson.District 1 Commissioner Spike Lawrence was the only member on the dais to vote against the proposal.He echoed long-running resident grievances about the project’s conflict with city development plans. That issue turned many in Chandler against Dominium when the company purchased the land knowing apartments were not allowed on the site and that such a development was broadly opposed in the city.“I fully appreciate the need for affordable housing in my beloved city of Chandler,” Lawrence said. “I think we can accomplish (this) in Chandler — but just not here. This stands in direct conflict with Chandler’s general plan, which is voted on by citizens …. It conflicts with the airport’s master plan, and conflicts with Chandler’s water plan.”Chandler resident Sarah Newhouse, who spoke at the meeting, cited concerns about potential crime that could take place at the low-income complex. Such worries, along with concerns about increased traffic in the area, have been common among the hundreds of residents who have shown up to public meetings opposing the project.Newhouse cited crime statistics that indicated other Dominium properties produce more emergency calls than market-rate apartments. The Arizona Republic has not reviewed those figures, and Dominium denies that their properties experience higher volumes of crime than other housing complexes.Dominium re-worked its original project pitch in an attempt to quell those resident worries last year.Its initial pitch included 518 units that would have largely been reserved for people who earn less than 60% of the area’s median income, making the income cap $37,000 for individuals and $53,000 for families of four. Anyone who met those criteria could be eligible.Last fall, the company withdrew that proposal from consideration and created a new proposal with 46% fewer units that are only for individuals who are 55 or older. Company representatives argued that should put the traffic and crime concerns to bed, but they have been largely unsuccessful in persuading concerned residents.The project does have its proponents among community members who site Chandler’s lack of affordable housing, however.Dr. Janice Scott, from the Social Justice Committee of the African-American Christian Clergy Coalition, spoke in favor of the project at Thursday’s meeting. She told commissioners that her daughter had to move out of Chandler because of a lack of housing affordability.“This was a woman who sometimes worked two jobs with a child in college and a child in high school, but yet could not afford to live in Chandler,” she said. “These are important decisions that can impact the future viability and the ongoing prosperity of this entire region.”Chandler’s City Council remains dead set against the proposal, although it does not have a direct say in whether the project moves forward.But Chandler’s Deputy City Manager Andy Bass told the county on Monday that the city will not provide municipal utilities, like the water or sewer systems, for the project site ― something that could throw a wrench in Dominium’s plans even with county approval.In a memo, county staffers wrote that the city’s refusal to provide those utilities makes the Dominium zoning change “inconsistent with the county’s planning policy.” That memo recommended that the planning and zoning commission reject Dominium’s request on Tuesday for that reason.County commission members instead sided with Dominium’s attorney, who told the planning body that sorting out utilities was a problem for the company, not the county.“If we get zoning approval, the risk is on us to continue to work with the city of Chandler on water and other things,” said Ed Ball, a Dominium representative who presented to the commission. “If we don’t get that done, we’ll need to find another way to skin that cat … Otherwise, no permit, no development. We accept that risk.”The Board of Supervisors will have to weigh that argument before making a final decision next month.Reporter Sam Kmack covers Tempe, Scottsdale and Chandler. Follow him on X @KmackSam or reach him at sam.kmack@arizonarepublic.com.(This story has been updated to add new information.)
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