By Roland Murphy for AZBEX NOT BEXCLUSIVE
Petersen Properties & Management, Inc. wants to bring the “first top tier industrial park” to Eloy.
Through its subsidiary Petersen Arizona Land and Entitlement Fund, the company has submitted a request to the Eloy Planning and Zoning Commission to approve “the I-2 General Industrial Zoning District as the base zoning district for an additional 574 acres being added to the 618 acres from the original PAD as augmented through the Planned Area Development Overlay District.” Those 574 acres are currently designated Light Industrial.
The undeveloped 1,192-acre site planned as the Interstate 10-8 Business Park is northeast of the I-10 traffic interchange at Sunland Gin Road, southeast of the I-8 interchange. It also sits adjacent to the Union Pacific Railroad line. The property has approximately 13KSF of frontage on both I-10 and the railroad.
According to the application materials, PALEF owns 582 of the 618 net acres in the original PAD. The remaining nearly 36 acres is owned by Nancy Johnston, with an agreement in place for Johnston to participate in the overall development and marketing. The 574 acres are currently owned by TES Farms and the Scott Leo Calvin Trust, who have exercised an option for Petersen to buy the property.
Petersen says in its application its goal is to provide a construction-ready site that allows for a range of industrial uses and allows for a supporting mix of residential and commercial opportunities. Working together with the City of Eloy, PALEF plans to market the business park to “top employment, industrial, commercial and technology companies.”
A 19-page brochure on the Petersen website marketing the property for sale shows a variety of possible users and conceptual uses for the site, including the fact it is located in an Opportunity Zone and a Foreign Trade Zone, along with its proximity to “(a) major transportation corridor in every direction (to) ensure easy access.” It also notes a rail spur can be added.
The materials show how off ramps and road alignments will be modified in the future to maximize the business park’s accessibility as it develops, as well as a collage of restaurant, hotel and commercial possibilities that could be incorporated to support prospective uses.
Though there are no specific users assigned to the plan yet, a conceptual site plan in the marketing materials and referenced in the application illustrates how the park could be designed to accommodate users with needs from five-10 acres up to more than 100 acres.
In justifying its request for the PAD amendment, Petersen notes the zoning’s inherent flexibility will add to the site’s appeal for a wide variety of users. It gives the example that a typical industrial user may require a 40-foot clear height, but that a unique manufacturing or distribution user may need increased height to accommodate multiple levels for storage or automated uses. It also makes the justification that companies looking to locate a business campus or corporate headquarters may desire different vertical options than an industrial user would.
The justification starts by saying, “As proposed, Interstate 10-8 Business Park provides a greater benefit to the City by permitting and conditionally permitting a mix of compatible uses and development standard, that would otherwise be limited to one zoning district. Additionally, the proposed development will have a positive impact on future employment opportunities for the area by providing an iconic employment destination with economic incentives and infrastructure advancements that create a business-friendly atmosphere. Lastly, PALEF’s commitment is to improve public infrastructure and create a unique sense of place, with grand entry monumentation, display a higher level of commitment to development in the area.”
If the amendment requests are ultimately approved by Eloy City Council, the City and developer will enter into a development agreement to oversee the property’s growth. The Planning and Zoning Commission is scheduled to hear the request Sept. 21.
