Clancy Jayne, a consultant assisting the property owners with annexation efforts, related the land to be annexed is held by seven separate owners. Some area property owners pulled out of the annexation effort due to the city’s request that only parcels zoned commercial be included.

“Once we identified who wanted to be a part of it, we moved forward,” Jayne said.

Villasenor confirmed that at this time Phoenix is only interested in annexing commercially zoned property in that part of the county.

“We’re not interested in residential at all,” Villasenor told The Desert Advocate last week, noting infrastructure placement was the main sticking point, with Anthem so close by and Arizona American Water holding that area’s service contracts.

But commercially zoned areas use less water, according to Villasenor, and the revenue received from future businesses would help pay for police and fire protection, making commercial property attractive to the city.

In the near term, however, fire protection will continue to be provided by Daisy Mountain Fire Department under its automatic aid agreement with Phoenix.

Jayne emphasized all infrastructure improvements would be borne by the property owners and not taxpayers.

Michelle Dodds, a supervisor in the city’s planning department, said the annexation would require an amendment to the Phoenix General Plan, as that area currently has no city zoning designation.

A hearing on the annexation is scheduled for September. To date, there have been no objections from the public, according to Jayne.

The city approved an annexation adjacent to these parcels in May. That annexation involved a 67‑acre parcel bordered by Teresa Lane on the north (just south of Circle Mountain Road), Kenai Drive extended on the south, the 39th Avenue alignment to the east and, at the end of a dogleg across I‑17, 43rd Avenue on the west.

What area residents can expect to see along that stretch of the Old Black Canyon Highway (I‑17 frontage road) is still up in the air. Jayne stated he expects the sale and development process would take at least two years before one shovel full of dirt is turned.

“We still have a lot of work to do,” Jayne said.