The Florence Town Council unanimously approved the preliminary plat for Phase II of the Mesquite Trails development at their February 3rd meeting. The development, located east of Felix Road and north of Hiller Road, north of Anthem Merrill Ranch, represents a significant expansion of residential housing in the area.
The approved Phase II will add 599 single-family homes across 133.6 acres, with lot sizes ranging from 5,400 to 6,600 square feet. This is part of the larger Mesquite Trails master-planned community, which spans approximately 638 acres and is planned to include 2,552 homes across four phases. Phase I, which has already been platted and recorded, includes 652 residential lots.
Construction activity has already begun on the site, with grading work underway for Phase I, according to Sean Hamill of United Engineering Group, who presented the plans to the council.
The limited recreational amenities planned for the development sparked concern among council members. Phase II includes five pocket parks featuring tot lots, ramadas, benches, BBQ areas, and a half-court basketball area. “I don’t think that’s a lot of amenities for that many houses,” said Councilmember Nicole Buccellato, expressing concern that children would end up playing on the main road, noting the town already has issues with this problem. Councilmember Tony Bencina raised concerns about the broader development in the area, noting that between Mesquite Trails and other developments, “we’re looking at about 15,000, 16,000 homes” and emphasized that the town will need to address park space across multiple developments because “they’re not putting enough space in to any of these developments to handle what these people are going to need.”
Looking ahead, the development will need to complete several more steps before construction can begin on Phase II, including obtaining final plat approval from the Town Council. While Parcel 10 was originally conceptualized in 2005 with basketball courts, soccer fields, and tennis courts, Hamill indicated it could potentially be modernized to 2025 standards with features like dog parks or pickleball courts, though these plans are not yet finalized.
