The Maricopa County Planning & Development Commission voted 5–3 to recommend approval of SU250021, a special-use permit for Ranchero Livestock & Supplies, after neighbors described persistent noise, diesel fumes, dust, roadway damage and fire risk from hay storage and unloading operations.

Planning staff framed the request as a cottage-industry special use for a hay delivery business on an approximately 1.2-acre Rural-43 parcel at 224th Avenue and Patton Road in Whitman. Staff said the applicant sought a 10-year entitlement for operations Monday through Friday, 7 a.m.–5 p.m., storage of two hay stacks under an awning up to 6 feet 8 inches, and recommended conditions including strict adherence to hours, roadway maintenance, regular dust control and limiting hay-squeeze use to 8 a.m.–4 p.m.

The applicant’s representative, architect Chaddish Dixon, said hay must be kept dry to avoid self-heating and ignition, that the owner will spread gravel to reduce dust and has discussed site operations with the local fire chief, and that a water truck on-site was intended for emergency response rather than routine hay dampening. Owner Anita Castro said the business grew over time, that some increases in visible stock were due to wet hay being re-stacked after rain, and that seasonal temporary workers are used.

Multiple nearby residents — including callers who said they live immediately north of the site and one who identified herself as Sarah — described early-morning and late-night activity, diesel fumes so strong they close windows, repeated large deliveries (one caller estimated 14–15 deliveries since Nov. 17), 8–10-foot hay stacks, trucks blocking the private street and damaged roadways, and concerns about shared-well impacts. One resident said the operation expanded over the last two to three years beyond a single-person activity.

Commissioners debated whether a 10-year permit was appropriate for a one-acre residential area and discussed available enforcement and compliance options. Some members recommended a short expiration to allow the business time to relocate; staff said the commission could modify condition C to set an expiration date and that the applicant could later seek extension if neighbors’ concerns were addressed.

Commissioner Talmadge moved to approve SU250021 with a modified condition C setting the permit expiration to January 2028 (a roughly two-year period); Commissioner Layton seconded. The motion passed by roll-call vote: Dan Zysen—No; Finter—Yes; Hernandez—No; Layton—Yes; Chairman Lindblom—No; Vice Chair Milhaven—Yes; Toma—Yes; Whitney—Yes (5–3).

The approval is time-limited by the modified condition and includes the staff-recommended operational and mitigation conditions; the owner and neighbors were advised that code enforcement and a compliance plan are the mechanisms for addressing future violations.