QUEEN CREEK, AZ (AZFamily) \u2014 Jesse Villavicencio bought his home in The Parks with a promise: one day, his neighborhood would become part of Queen Creek.<\/p>\n
He said developers told his family Queen Creek would be the next Scottsdale, complete with a new library and aquatic center. Now, that promise may disappear.<\/p>\n
Queen Creek town leaders will vote Wednesday on a proposal to remove more than 1,500 homes from the town\u2019s general plan, a move residents say would shut the door on annexation for good.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just think it\u2019s really unfair to those citizens that are here and were given false hope, false information,\u201d Villavicencio said.<\/p>\n
Three neighborhoods in limbo<\/p>\n
The Parks, The Meadows and Magnolia Grove all sit just outside Queen Creek\u2019s town limits in unincorporated Pinal County. But the neighborhoods are currently included in Queen Creek\u2019s general plan, which keeps the door open for future annexation.<\/p>\n
Town leaders are now considering removing them entirely.<\/p>\n
Villavicencio said the disconnect between expectations and reality has left residents feeling abandoned.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are signs that say \u2018Welcome to Queen Creek\u2019 that are attached to our neighborhood, so is the fire department and the police department. It just makes no sense,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Money at the center of the debate<\/p>\n
According to a town document, Queen Creek never collected development fees from the neighborhoods because they were built in Pinal County. Those fees typically fund roads, parks and public safety infrastructure.<\/p>\n
Town leaders estimate annexation would bring in about $3 million a year in revenue, but they said that may not cover the long-term costs of providing services to the area.<\/p>\n
For Villavicencio and his neighbors, the financial argument doesn\u2019t address what they say was a commitment made when they moved in.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou feel like the redheaded stepchild, the outsiders, the people that are segregated,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The town council will consider the proposal at 6 p.m. Wednesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope and pray they can do the right thing for the people instead of just thinking about money,\u201d Villavicencio said.<\/p>\n
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