Rezoning a 26-acre site at the NEC of Burris and Clayton roads, south of Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway and Union Pacific Railroad in Pinal County, could bring the land into closer alignment with surrounding properties and expand its options for future development.
The area around the Brady Industrial site has shifted from mostly rural and agricultural to industrial and other employment uses over the years, influenced by proximity to the Union Pacific Railroad line and the expansion of Casa Grande. Many of the properties nearby have been annexed into the City, but this site and several others in the area are still within unincorporated Pinal County.
According to the submitted narrative, “The surrounding properties annexed into the City of Casa Grande are zoned for I-1 Garden & Light Industrial, I-2 General Industrial Zone, UR Urban Ranch, and PAD Planned Area Development, with industrial park developments just to the south and east. The annexations left an island of properties around this site and several industrial properties on the north side of the Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway which are unable to be annexed due to the adjacent UPRR properties also being unincorporated which would create a county island. The remaining adjacent parcels located within unincorporated Pinal County are zoned GR.”
The request currently under review by the Pinal County Planning and Zoning Commission would change the zoning from I-2 General Industrial and Warehouse Zoning District to I-3 Industrial Zoning District “to allow the development of associated and compatible uses for the industrial park complexes along a minor arterial roadway,” according to the request summary.
The zoning change would establish a broader range of development options and uses for the property, particularly more intensive uses that could benefit from rail proximity. The narrative says, “When the site was originally being rezoned to industrial, the zoning code had CI-2 as the most intense zoning and was incorrectly zoned to I-2 believing this would be the most intense zone permitted at that time as the goal was for railroad access and opportunities for chemical transportation along the railroad.”
Surrounding uses consist of industrial to the north and west, agricultural/industrial to the south and vacant/undeveloped land to the east. All the properties have a manufacturing/industrial land use type under the Pinal County Comprehensive Plan or Casa Grande General Plan.
The Comprehensive Plan encourages buffering around industrial properties to protect surrounding parcels from potentially conflicting land uses. Even though the lands surrounding the 26-acre Brady site are nearly all industrial, conceptual illustrations have been submitted showing buffers of both 600 feet and 1,200 feet.
In discussions with owner Brady & Brady Properties, LLC, Casa Grande has expressed no objections to the proposed rezoning. The narrative says, “The City of Casa Grande General Plan shows the property as Manufacturing/ Industry. The proposed industrial zoning is consistent with the designated adjacent City of Casa Grande land uses and the Casa Grande General Plan as it focuses on the industrial and business corridor in this area. Much of the surrounding area is annexed into the City of Casa Grande, but the Property and those around this site and several industrial properties on the north side of the Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway which are currently unable to be annexed due to adjacent properties who wish to remain in the County.”
A 2023 traffic impact statement submitted with the materials shows a planned 20KSF industrial building on one corner of the property. Currently, however, a prospective end user has not been named for the site, and there are no development or conceptual site plans in place. The owner expects development to take place if the rezoning is approved, and a formal development plan will follow.
Brady & Brady Properties, LLC is the owner. Land planning is by RVi Planning + Landscape Architecture. A traffic impact statement was prepared by United Civil Group, and Allen Consulting Engineers, Inc. is the civil engineer.
The request is scheduled to go before Planning and Zoning Oct. 1.
