State Representative Matt Gress (R-4) is leading the opposition to the planned redevelopment of the Kierland golf course into new residential development.
The Context
The project, named Copper Residences, proposes the redevelopment of 71.8 acres of the golf course into new residences, but current residents of the area have expressed opposition to the project, citing increased traffic congestion and urban density, loss of open space and buffers, and placing more strain on existing infrastructure.
What Gress is Saying
State Rep. Gress echoed the sentiment in a letter to the Paradise Valley Village Planning Committee urging the rejection of the project, writing, "There is a basic fairness issue here. Homeowners have been expected to live by restrictions intended to preserve Kierland's character."
"They should not now be told that the very character those restrictions helped protect can simply be rewritten around them," State Rep. Gress continued, adding, "In this case, I believe the community has spoken clearly. I urge you to listen to them and reject this proposal."
He noted that "Kierland was conceived, marketed, and purchased as a master-planned community centered around open space and the golf course corridor," and "many paid a premium to live alongside the open space they reasonably believed was a defining and lasting feature of their neighborhood."
Gress and a Changing Arizona
In March, Gress's House Bill 2601 passed the Arizona House of Representatives, which maintains the Interstate 11 study and continues work on a major long-term transportation corridor.
HB 2601 requires the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) to request federal segmentation of the Interstate 11 project between Interstate 10 at Casa Grande and Wickenburg as a segment of an independent utility, meaning the project is not reliant on other portions of the corridor being built.
"Arizona is growing, freight is increasing, and traffic is not getting any lighter," Gress previously said. "This bill keeps a major corridor from stalling out in process and delay. House Republicans are working to expand capacity, improve mobility, and make sure Arizona has the highway system needed to support growth across the state."
