Glendale is pulling more of the far West Valley into its borders, this time to clear space for a hefty chunk of industrial real estate along the Loop 303 corridor.
The City Council voted Tuesday to annex two unincorporated parcels on the city’s west side so they can be folded into the Sarival industrial hub. Together the sites total just over 48 acres, including a roughly 39-acre tract just south of the southwest corner of Peoria and Sarival avenues. Along with annexation, council members signed off on zoning changes that open the door for large warehouse and light-manufacturing buildings instead of rural or single-family uses.
According to Glendale Independent, the unanimous vote came at the Feb. 24 council meeting and officially pulled long-standing county "island" parcels into the city map. Both annexations included a shift from Rural Residence to Planned Area Development, in line with the city’s planning calendar for the Sarival Logistics rezoning posted by the City of Glendale. City staff say that updated zoning is meant to finally clear the legal and regulatory snags that have kept the land sitting idle.
What The Council Actually Approved
The larger of the two moves covers roughly 39 acres tucked just south of the southwest corner of Peoria and Sarival avenues, according to marketing materials and project documents on LoopNet. The development pitch for the "Sarival Logistics" project calls for three Class A warehouse or manufacturing buildings of about 146,500, 254,000 and 275,000 square feet, each with 32-foot clear heights and exterior trailer parking, as outlined by AZBEX. The Planned Area Development zoning is designed to allow that larger industrial footprint where only more traditional residential uses would have been possible before.
Checkerboard Fix Adds More Industrial Muscle
Council also scooped up additional parcels in what staff and developers have dubbed the Sarival "checkerboard" - a patchwork of county land pockets surrounded by city limits. That move adds roughly 675,000 square feet of potential industrial building area, according to Glendale Independent. The new land feeds into a corridor already anchored by the 1.15 million square foot Sarival Logistics Center, a major distribution complex that recently changed hands, as reported by AJOT. Taken together, the added acreage and existing big-box inventory give the Loop 303 industrial market even more pull with logistics and distribution tenants.
Utilities, Constraints And The Developer Pitch
Project documents note that water and sewer service for the site would be provided by EPCOR rather than Glendale, since city utility lines do not extend past 115th Avenue. That off-site setup is flagged in planning materials as a basic but important constraint on how quickly the area can build out.
The developer’s submittal describes the annexation as, in city staff’s phrasing, "a strategic opportunity" to boost economic activity in the corridor, according to reporting by AZBEX. Supporters argue that bringing these county pockets into Glendale proper not only tidies up the map but also makes it easier for the city to require infrastructure upgrades and tap into tax revenue that would come with future industrial tenants.
What Happens Next
The annexation vote is a key legal step, but it does not mean construction crews will roll out tomorrow. Rezoning details, engineering designs and building permits still have to move through multiple public hearings and internal reviews.
City staff say they will bring forward a full rezoning request and schedule formal public hearings where nearby residents and other stakeholders can weigh in, according to materials from the City of Glendale. If the Planned Area Development and site plans are approved, the newly annexed parcels could be positioned for speculative warehouse projects or build-to-suit deals aimed at regional distributors eyeing the Loop 303 corridor.
