By Roland Murphy for AZBEX
In its meeting later this week, the Casa Grande Planning and Zoning Commission will be presented with two separate proposals for industrial park master plans that could put more than 2,300 acres up for new development.
Both sets of requests were submitted by Colliers Engineering & Design, formerly HILGARTWILSON.
Grande Valley Industrial
The first project—Grande Valley Industrial—calls for a major General Plan amendment from Neighborhoods to Manufacturing/Industry for approximately 2,250 gross acres at the SEC of Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway and Indian Valley Road.
According to the submitted narrative, “The majority of the property within close proximity to the Union Pacific Railroad and Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway is designated as Manufacturing/Industry on the 2030 General Plan Land Use Plan. The proposed land use amendment of the Site from Neighborhoods to Manufacturing/Industry will create a logical expansion of the existing and planned industrial core and provide further.”
Assuming the amendment is granted, it will be followed later by a minor General Plan amendment and rezoning request to reclassify the site to a Phase 1 Growth Accommodation Area.
The site, located near the western edge of Casa Grande, is mostly undeveloped land, save for a portion at the SWC currently used for agriculture.
The narrative says the location is ideal for industrial use, given its location within the Arizona Innovation and Technology Corridor and its direct access to the Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway and to the Union Pacific railroad at the northern edge of the site. It is also “readily accessible” to interstates 10 and 8, State Route 347 and West Gila Bend Highway/AZ-84. In addition, the selected corridor alignment for Interstate-11 runs through the SWC of the project site.
The owners also expect the project will increase both demand for and construction of diverse residential developments in the area, including downtown Casa Grande. “While the Proposed Amendment does not directly address this principle, the increase in employment opportunities resulting from future development on the Site and continued growth in this area will result in an increase in housing demand for the City as a whole,” the narrative says. “This demand provides the opportunity to support and encourage high-density residential projects in the downtown area.”
Water is an ongoing issue of concern for new developments, with Pinal County being a primary center of interest. The owners acknowledge this and say they will have to address water supply and infrastructure during the entitlement period, while also noting the proposed industrial and non-residential uses will likely have a lower water-use component than the residential uses usually found in a Neighborhoods land use category.
According to the staff report, no comments or inquiries were submitted by residents after the required public notices were posted.
The site is owned by Larry Yount (LKY Development Co.) through a variety of subsidiaries and in partnership with Vestar. The planning firm is Colliers Engineering & Design.
Clayton Industrial
The second major General Plan amendment request coming to the Commission is for Clayton Industrial, a planned development on 80 acres at the SEC of Clayton and Bianco roads.
The 80 acres are part of a 520-acre annexation request of unincorporated land in Pinal County that was submitted in May. A separate application to rezone 280 acres in that annexation area to General Industrial is being submitted with the General Plan amendment request to change the 80-acre land use designation from Rural to Manufacturing/Industry.
The location is currently used for agriculture and has some single-family rural residential housing on site.
Like the Grande Valley Industrial site, the narrative says most of the Clayton site is close to the Union Pacific Railroad and the Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway. Because of that proximity, the submitted narrative claims, “The proposed land use amendment… will create a logical expansion of the existing and planned industrial core and provide further growth in employment opportunities, ultimately leading to new housing and commercial opportunities.”
Also as in the Grande Valley proposal, the narrative highlights the Clayton Industrial site’s proximity to interstates 10 and 8, the Gila Bend Highway/AZ-84, and its location 2.1 miles from the planned I-11 corridor.
The owner is Vernon Barnes, with land planning and entitlement overseen by Colliers Engineering & Design.
City staff will present both plans at the Oct. 17 meeting and make recommendations on Nov. 7.
