The recently empaneled San Tan Valley Town Council heard a presentation on planning and development in the area, with a particular focus on the San Tan Valley Urban Core, a 3,239-acre project centered on Arizona State Trust Land.
The presentation featured materials from the 2018 Special Area Plan and from the 2025 Urban Core approvals, covering plan amendment and zoning.
The Special Area Plan covers 45,222 acres. Private owners control 31,642 acres, with State Trust Land making up another 12,911. The bureaus of Land Management and Reclamation each hold fewer than 500 acres.
The Urban Core is considered vitally important for San Tan Valley’s future development over the next 20-40 years. Residents have been told to expect the area to become a downtown center with multiple housing types, commercial development and job opportunities.
Newly appointed as STV’s first Town Manager, Brent Billingsley has been directly involved with developing the project since 2022 in his previous role as the Pinal County Community Development Director. He said sales tax revenue generated by development, particularly in the Urban Core, will be essential for the Town’s growth and prosperity as it matures, particularly since it has few areas currently zoned for commercial or industrial development.
The Urban Core plan was created to address these shortcomings and will serve as a large master plan community zoning case that gives the Town a wide range of flexibility and opportunity.
Rather than traditional zoning cases, the Urban Core creates multiple development areas that can change depending on demand. It creates maximum numbers of dwelling units and commercial and industrial floor space ratios, but those, too, can change to enhance an area’s appeal and development potential. If developers want to buy a particular piece of land for a specific project, the development area guidelines can be shifted to accommodate it.
When Pinal County approved the framework in February, nine development areas were created. Areas 1 and 2 are residential districts that can shift to commercial if developers show greater interest in that type of project. Low-density single-family will be allowed in Areas 1, 2, 3, 7, 8 and 9. Area 4 is planned for medium- and high-density residential and commercial. Area 5 will be the heart of the planned downtown and will also have office, industrial and tech employment. Area 6 is planned for high-tech development projects and also offers rail access.
San Tan Valley will continue to build administrative capacity through the middle of next year. In the meantime, the Arizona State Land Department will auction Urban Core properties according to development interest. Additional approvals will be required before any construction begins.
Billingsley said it usually takes two to three years to develop a General Plan, and a zoning code update could follow approximately six years after the Town’s incorporation. The existing County planning documents will guide land use until then. (Source)