Cochise County approves rezoning of 369-acre site west of Douglas for industrial use to support port of entry

The Cochise County Board of Supervisors on June 3 approved a request to change land-use and growth-area designations for roughly 369 acres about 2.5 miles west of Douglas and rezoned several parcels to LI (Light Industry) to accommodate warehousing and logistics connected to a planned port of entry.

The rezone (zoning ordinance 25-08) and associated amendments (docket CPA 25-02 and RZ 25-04) were approved after the board struck a planning-and-zoning commission recommendation requiring a 100-foot landscape buffer along property lines adjacent to established residences. Supervisor Kathleen Gomez made the motion to approve the package; the motion was seconded and the board voted to approve the item, as amended.

Why it matters: the site lies near a long-studied location for a new port of entry. Supervisors and the applicant said industrial development there would provide warehousing and logistics support to the port and spur local economic activity. Nearby residents raised concerns about buffers and traffic; county staff said landscape buffers can be negotiated during permitting, while building setbacks are set by zoning regulations.

County planner Matthew Taylor told the board that the requested rezone would facilitate industrial development in an area where neighboring parcels to the north and west are already designated "developing." Taylor said the planning staff originally recommended a 20-foot landscape buffer, the planning-and-zoning commission recommended 100 feet, and staff would support the commission if it altered a staff recommendation.

Applicant Michael Marks, representing Ardent, said the company views warehousing and logistics as an essential, "inevitable" part of the port-of-entry development. Marks asked the board to avoid dedicating excessive land area to a permanent buffer given that some adjacent parcels may not remain residential, and proposed resolving buffer depth and planting density during permitting. "We want to be good neighbors," Marks said, but asked the board to allow flexibility so land area is not permanently removed for buffer requirements.

Taylor clarified a common point of confusion: the code-required building setback where industrial zones abut rural parcels is 80 feet and can be changed only by variance before the Board of Adjustment. The landscape buffer is a separate, negotiable condition and not a mandatory zoning setback. Taylor said, "The applicants agreeing to put a perimeter setback next to these residential properties is not a requirement. It's something that we're asking for as a condition of the rezone... If the board would like to entertain a reduction in the depth of that setback based on the types of vegetation that's used, that's perfectly acceptable."

Residents and local planning officials pressed the board to ensure neighbors would be protected from noise and truck traffic. Heather Gardner, who described herself as a Cochise County resident with a long working relationship with the applicant, said the corner of Kings Ranch and Posey would become heavily trafficked as part of a connector road and that "50 feet is not going to change the overall outcome of what's coming and what's going to impact them." The planning commission chair said commissioners were most concerned about encroachment on nearby residents and supported negotiating the landscaping details at permitting.

After discussion the board voted to strike the 100-foot landscape-buffer recommendation and to keep requirements for right-of-way dedications and a wildlife survey to be completed during permitting. Supervisors directed staff and the applicant to consult with adjacent property owners during the permitting process to refine buffer planting and depth.

Clarifying details: the motion as introduced requested a comprehensive-plan amendment (CPA 25-02), rezoning (RZ 25-04) and adoption of zoning ordinance 25-08 to rezone tax parcels 408-34-004A and 408-34-004D from RU-4 (Rural) to LI (Light Industry). Staff will require right-of-way dedications along Kings Ranch and an unnamed industrial connector and a wildlife survey required by the Arizona Game and Fish Department at permitting. The planning-and-zoning commission had recommended a 100-foot landscape buffer, which the board removed and left as a permitting-stage condition to be negotiated.

The board chair called the question after the amendment and the measure passed as amended. The applicant indicated it would work with staff to resolve buffer depth and planting density at the permit stage.

The county did not specify a guaranteed timetable for construction; no funding or development timeline was included in the rezoning action.