At a public hearing, developers representing Dobson Farms told the Florence Planning and Zoning Commission they seek to reclassify portions of the Dobson Farms master plan from suburban neighborhood to an industry district to accommodate industrial, technology and data-center uses. The requests—presented in separate cases for east and west parcels—are the first of two required hearings; the commission did not vote. Gary Higgs, representing Ryan Companies, said the firm and the Dobson family propose a Florence Tech Park-style employment center on land the 2011 Dobson Farms PUD previously envisioned for residential development. “This plan will significantly reduce the approved traffic counts…compared to the current general plan, it’ll significantly reduce the water usage,” Higgs said. Julie Vergioli of Capital Community Consulting presented a parallel request for parcels labeled Dobson Farms East and West and said the sites are adjacent to existing industrial uses and utilities, can tie into nearby sewer and water mains and are positioned to accommodate future transport corridors such as the Central Arizona Parkway and a possible Arizona 505 alignment. Vergioli said the east parcel is about 239 acres and the west parcel about 600 acres; the applicants estimated the industrial land use could support roughly 800 jobs and generate new sales and tax revenues if built out. Several commissioners and residents expressed traffic and infrastructure concerns. A resident who identified himself as John said the area lacks funded funding for proposed highways and that roads such as Arizona Farms and Attaway will need upgrades before large-scale employment or residential growth brings greater traffic. Planning staff and applicants said road and utility upgrades would be part of development approvals and that the town is updating its transportation plan; the project teams said they expect to fund or condition infrastructure improvements as part of future zoning and plat approvals. The chair reiterated that these hearings are the first of two required general-plan hearings and that detailed rezoning, PAD (planned-area development) text and infrastructure commitments will return for commission review if the general-plan amendments move forward.