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Maricopa council approves major general-plan amendment to create Industrial Triangle
Summary
The Maricopa City Council voted to amend the city's general plan to reclassify about 716 acres along the Santa Rosa Wash as an employment district, a step city staff and supporters say will attract jobs and keep development local.
The Maricopa City Council voted to amend the city's general plan on Tuesday to reclassify roughly 716 acres in the area south of Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway and north of Porter as an employment land-use district, City Planning Manager Rick Williams told the council.
The change, described in staff materials as the Maricopa Industrial Triangle major general-plan amendment, shifts parcels now designated master-planned community, medium-density residential and open space to an employment designation that allows office, industrial and commercial uses at varying intensities.
City staff and the planning commission argued the amendment is consistent with multiple general-plan goals including balancing jobs and housing, supporting safe transportation connections and expanding economic development. Williams said the revision also relies on a regional floodplain solution that narrows the mapped width of the Santa Rosa Wash corridor and opens additional land for development.
Sheriff Waters spoke from the public podium to express support for the proposal, saying many residents have told him they are concerned about residential conversion of commercial land. No members of the public registered opposition at the hearing, Williams told the council.
Council members responded with questions about agency outreach; Williams said the city met public-notice requirements, held a neighborhood meeting and received limited agency comments, noting the irrigation district MSIDD had provided notice that it has facilities in the area. He said any MSIDD concerns would be addressed during subsequent rezoning and site-plan reviews.
After brief council discussion, Councilmember Manfredi moved approval of the map amendment and Councilmember Liermann seconded. The motion carried on a voice vote.
Councilmembers and staff said they view the land-use change as a step toward attracting more employers inside Maricopa city limits and reducing through-commuting, while preserving an improved wash corridor and trails as amenities for the city.
The approval authorizes the general-plan map change only; any future development will require separate rezoning, site-plan review and compliance with floodplain and irrigation-district requirements, Williams said.
No funding, development agreements or specific private projects were approved as part of the general-plan amendment vote.
