GILBERT, AZ — A new 55-plus housing development could bring more residents and potentially more customers to Gilbert Town Square.
The Gilbert Town Council voted 5-2 on Sept. 15 to approve Headwaters Gilbert, a proposed 181-unit development on more than six acres of commercial land.
Town staff told council the site is in an area that has “historically struggled to attract successful commercial uses” and said adding multifamily housing could help support nearby businesses.
Vice Mayor Chuck Bongiovanni said during the meeting that he typically would not support converting commercial land for housing.
“Normally I would never say yes to changing our commercial, but I know we had two restaurants that close,” Bongiovanni said.
The Town of Gilbert also told ABC15 the project could give nearby businesses a “built-in base of support.”
That potential growth is welcomed by the owners of Desert Monks Brewing in Gilbert Town Square.
“We hear all the time that people don’t know we exist back here, so if there was growth right around our area, that would help our business and all the other businesses in our strip immensely,” co-owner Brittany Gilmore said.
Desert Monks has operated in Gilbert Town Square for nearly eight years.
Gilmore said bringing more people to the area could help the brewery stay there long term.
“At the end of the day, we have bills to pay here,” Gilmore said. “We’re very small and a two-man show for most of the time, so the growth really is what’s gonna help us stay here long term.”
