After four years of planning, revisions and waiting, the long-anticipated Sanctuary subdivision on Maricopa’s burgeoning East Side is finally moving forward with a slightly denser footprint than originally expected.

Maricopa’s Planning and Zoning Commission tonight is set to approve a preliminary plat for phase 1 of The Sanctuary, the master-planned community at Hartman Road and Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway that will bring 339 single-family homes across 83 acres about a mile south of Sorrento.

That pencils out to 4.1 homes per acre — a jump from the originally proposed buildout reported in 2021.

At the time, developers anticipated building 3½ homes per acre, but an amendment approved by the city last year increased the total allowable units in the community to 1,191 homes.

The first phase will include a mix of three lot sizes: 40-, 45- and 50-by-120 feet, with street access only via Hartman Road and emergency access along MCG. Developers plan to include more than 21 acres of open space, mostly parks and trails. That includes a centrally located “Farm Park” with shaded play structures, picnic tables, benches and turf areas for games and gatherings.

The Sanctuary project has been part of the city’s long-term eastside vision since at least 2021, when a 330-acre master plan was approved. With the latest plat approval, construction could begin once final plats and improvement plans are signed off.

Though no homebuilder has yet been named publicly, all residential designs will be subject to city review under Maricopa’s single-family home guidelines.

Meanwhile, infrastructure improvements are on the way. The developer will be responsible for road widening, sidewalks, landscape and lighting along Hartman Road. Streets within the subdivision will be publicly owned and maintained.

City staff have recommended approval of the plat.

East Side sees growing momentum

The Sanctuary isn’t the only project pushing Maricopa’s East Side toward growth.

In January, Maricopa City Council approved the final subdivision design for Red Valley Ranch, a 164-acre neighborhood at the southwest corner of Farrell and Anderson Roads. That came after the council approved another 1,037-lot neighborhood, Hartman Trails, at Steen and Anderson Roads.

Documents filed with the city in March revealed plans for Maricopa’s first major eastside grocery store at the corner of Hartman and MCG, adjacent to The Sanctuary. The project includes a 50,000-square-foot supermarket anchor, possibly a Fry’s, with multiple pads for additional retail.

And in April, Maricopa Unified School District proposed adjusting its boundaries to capture more students who live east of town but currently attend Casa Grande schools (The Sanctuary is zoned for Casa Grande schools in the new paperwork). The move would align future school sites with expected residential development like The Sanctuary and Sorrento.

With the growth comes a dark side. An InMaricopa analysis of 10 shootings that occurred between Feb. 28 and May 15 found the East Side was one of two hotspots where nearly half the instances of gun violence during that period occurred.