Supervisors approve state-land master plan and rezoning for 3,238-acre San Tan Valley site

The Pinal County Board of Supervisors on Wednesday approved a comprehensive-plan amendment and a rezoning to a Large-Scale Master Plan Community (LMPC) for 3,238 acres of Arizona State Trust land in San Tan Valley, setting a long-range blueprint for possible residential, commercial and employment development.

The county’s planning manager, Harvey Krause, told the board the joint planning effort with the Arizona State Land Department produced a conceptual master plan dividing the site into nine development areas, a minimum open-space requirement and a conceptual arterial-road network. Krause said the LMPC is a “floating district” designed to give future developers flexibility on projects expected to evolve over decades.

The measure matters because the land sits north of Bella Vista Road, south of Hash Knife Draw and east of Hunt Highway in the heart of San Tan Valley. County planners estimated the plan could support up to roughly 18,000 dwelling units at maximum buildout, with minimum nonresidential acreage reserved to support employment and commerce as the community matures.

Krause said the planning process included a market study, traffic analysis and outreach; a neighborhood meeting on Dec. 9 drew about 40 residents. The Planning and Zoning Commission voted 10-0 to recommend approval, adding 26 stipulations to the rezoning. Krause said the State Land Office participated in drafting those stipulations and found them acceptable.

Karen Datta of the Arizona State Land Department was present during the meeting and participated in staff discussions, Krause said. The plan identifies utilities providers including the Town of Queen Creek and EPCOR and calls for coordinated extension of water and sewer. The conceptual transportation sketch shows multiple six-lane and four-lane arterial corridors intended to be phased as development occurs.

Residents opposed to the approvals asked the board for further environmental study before entitlements proceed. Carol Tonzi, a resident of Encantora directly north of the site, told the board she was concerned about traffic, property values, the presence of burrowing owls and, most strongly, valley fever exposure if large-scale grading and earth movement occur without further study.

"This is a serious situation that needs to be addressed," Tonzi said during the public hearing, asking that the board delay approval until an environmental analysis addressing valley fever is completed. The county chair acknowledged Tonzi's concerns and several supervisors said environmental and public-health reviews will be required during subsequent permitting stages.

The board voted to approve the comprehensive-plan amendment as presented and separately approved rezoning to LMPC with the 26 stipulations recommended by staff and the Planning and Zoning Commission.

What happens next: The LMPC designation and rezoning provide a regulatory framework but do not authorize immediate subdivision or construction. Future developers who acquire parcels from the State Land Department will still need to submit individual development plans, infrastructure studies and environmental analyses. County planners said utility, traffic and environmental reviews will be required and will be subject to separate public review and permitting processes.

Supervisor comments during the meeting emphasized long-term infrastructure coordination. Krause and staff stressed the plan is conceptual and intended to guide road alignments and service delivery so that future growth can be phased more predictably.

Votes at a glance: The Planning and Zoning Commission recommended the project 10-0. At the Board of Supervisors meeting the comprehensive-plan amendment was approved as presented (motion and unanimous voice vote). The rezoning to LMPC was approved with 26 stipulations (motion and unanimous voice vote).