Gilbert Town Council will continue discussion on a hotly debated mixed-use project next month.
The Atlas Auditorium at Gilbert Public Safety Training Facility — the site of the town council meeting — was packed to capacity Tuesday with many residents standing along the walls in the back of the room. Most of the audience's attention was on The Ranch — a proposed project from Las Vegas-based developer IndiCap on a roughly 300-acre site on the southwest corner of Elliot and Power roads.
Withey Morris, the law firm representing The Ranch developer IndiCap, requested a continuance before council took action on the project. Councilors granted Withey Morris' request on a 7-0 vote, but not before a slew of outbursts from the audience, opposing the project. The council said prior to the continuance vote that the proposal would be modified as IndiCap works with residents to create more common ground before final action is taken.
The project will be heard again at Gilbert Town Council on Dec. 13 — its last meeting of the year.
The council limited the time for individual commenters from three minutes to one, much to the chagrin of the audience, as final action would not be taken Tuesday night. Before the public comment even started, the meeting was delayed as a result of a resident shouting for discussion of The Ranch to be moved up as council members attempted to get through the consent agenda. Council went into a recess before resuming the meeting, which was frequently interrupted by the audience.
When council members got to public comment, nearly all of the public feedback vehemently opposed The Ranch. During their time to speak, residents pleaded with the council not to allow large structures near their homes. They said they did not want additional noise from large trucks, among other objections.