UPDATE: The Chandler City Council voted no on the proposed Preliminary Development Plan on Monday night. The final vote was 5-2, according to the city.
Chandler city councilors are set to vote on plans to build a 1.2 million-square-foot business park at McQueen and Queen Creek roads Monday.
However, residents who live across the street say they do not want the massive development going up just feet away from their homes.
It's still unknown what company would be using the facility, but zoning allows it to be some sort of warehouse or distribution center. It would have at least 300 dock bays that could hold semi-trucks or smaller trucks like UPS or FedEx, for example. The trucks have the ability to go in and out of the facility 24 hours a day.
Residents say that means a lot of noise at all hours. They're also concerned about traffic clogging up McQueen and surrounding streets. They say the increase in trucks turning into the facility could be a safety issue because of the park across the street and the bike lane on McQueen.
An online petition against the project has already received over 1,000 signatures.
"We always knew something would be built here and we're not against the development of this area," Ken McAlister, a Chandler resident, said. "What we're against is the high traffic it will bring with big rig trucks."
The city's planning commission is recommending councilors approve the project. They say it will bring more jobs and the roads can accommodate the extra traffic.
"We do realize there's always a concern when something new comes into an area that traffic increases," Erik Swanson, principal planner for the City of Chandler, said. "But McQueen has been designed to accommodate all that additional traffic."
In 2007, the city says the zoning of the land changed from agricultural to commercial office/business. Officials say that allows for distribution, warehouse and office space. They say it does not allow for things like grocery stores or a mall.
"We would not want to put a school there or a subdivision," Swanson said. "Because we want to have the minimum amount of bodies out there. These types of uses are the most appropriate for this type of location."
However, the site plan approved in 2007 looks different than the plan the developer Ryan Companies is proposing. The plot of land is divided up into at least 50 smaller units. The new plan shows those smaller units are combined into larger buildings. One of the entrances onto the property has also moved. Swanson says those changes are allowed.
"Throughout the process, we allow those changes," Swanson said. "It does go back through the neighborhood outreach and ultimately it goes back to the city for now."
Molly Ryan Carson, of Ryan Companies, sent ABC15 the following statement:
"Ryan Companies is proud to bring the Chandler Airport Commerce Park project to Chandler. The project balances the interests of the neighborhood and the Chandler Airport while honoring the vision of the city to create an employment center for the people of the East Valley. The project is far less intense than what is currently allowed. Ryan Companies is working with neighbors and the city to mitigate noise and traffic and increase green space around the development. We look forward to bringing to the community and the City of Chandler a first-class development that creates jobs for East Valley residents without impacting nearby residents."
Chandler City Council is expected to vote on this project Monday at 7 p.m. at council chambers.
