Surprise approves 422-acre Buena Vista Ranch development near Festival Ranch

Surprise City Council has approved a development agreement for Buena Vista Ranch, a 422-acre project near Festival Ranch that could bring hundreds of homes, industrial space and open land to the city’s northwest edge. The decision advances one of the larger recent entitlement steps in Surprise’s growth corridor and puts new emphasis on infrastructure planning in an area already shaped by major development pressure.

The agreement covers land near 227th Avenue and Pinnacle Peak Road, according to the council meeting summary and zoning case documents. The project is tied to Buena Vista Holdings LLC and related owners, with Elliott Pollack representing the applicant. City discussion centered on roadway improvements, traffic signal contributions and water and wastewater infrastructure, along with questions about wastewater capacity and reliance on Liberty Utilities for water service.

The rezoning case first appeared before the Surprise Planning and Zoning Commission in June and was described as a 422-acre request involving the Buena Vista Ranch Planned Area Development and an adjacent rural residential parcel. The proposed zoning mix includes residential districts, open space conservation and general industrial uses, with development documents indicating about 370 acres for housing, 32 acres for industrial or employment use and 12 acres of open space.

Housing, industrial use and open space

The project is planned to include roughly 370 dwelling units across low-, medium- and high-density residential areas, according to the zoning case materials. The industrial component is intended for land within the Luke Air Force Base 65 LDN noise contour, where employment uses are required under the planning documents. The case also notes that the rezone is consistent with the city’s general plan and will still need later development steps, including site plan and plat review.

Public records also show the development is part of a broader wave of west-side growth in Surprise. The same council meeting approved another development agreement for Surprise 160, a separate 160-acre project at 231st Avenue and Deer Valley Road. Together, the two approvals reflect the city’s continued push to manage housing demand, infrastructure timing and utility capacity as large tracts of land move through the entitlement process.

Buena Vista Ranch is located just south of Wittmann and west of much of Surprise’s built-out urban core, placing it in an area where new neighborhoods, roads and utility systems will likely be built in phases. The city did not disclose a construction start date in the available materials, and no final buildout timeline was included in the approval summary.