Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use Annexation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Casa Grande approves Project Saguaro annexation and initial industrial zoning after residents urge delay
Summary
The Casa Grande City Council voted unanimously to approve the annexation of roughly 1,300 acres known as Project Saguaro and adopt initial industrial zoning, while residents and advocates asked the city to delay action pending more detailed development and infrastructure information.
The Casa Grande City Council on a unanimous vote approved the annexation and initial zoning for Project Saguaro, a roughly 1,300‑acre area along Thornton Road and south of Selma Highway, after a lengthy presentation and public comment.
Staff presented the infrastructure and services plan required under Arizona law and recommended initial zoning of Urban Ranch and subsequent rezoning to general industrial (I‑2) for much of the site and a B‑4 community services designation for a smaller parcel. Jacqueline (city staff) told the council the petition for annexation included the signatures and property‑value thresholds required by the Arizona Revised Statutes and that the Planning and Zoning Commission had forwarded favorable recommendations.
Seth King, land use counsel for Lucid Motors, requested approval and described the annexation as an administrative step to extend city limits to Interstate 8 and to prepare the land for future industrial and commercial development. "There is no specific development plan before you tonight," King said, adding that specific site plans and development agreements would be subject to later public review and site plan processes.
Michael Cruz, head of government affairs for Lucid Motors, told the council the request is "intended for industrial use" and repeated that the annexation and I‑2 zoning are not intended for single‑family or multifamily housing. "This is strictly for industrial use," Cruz said, and he emphasized that any major site plan would go through public notification and planning review.
Several residents and advocates urged the council to delay the vote until more detailed information is available. Jordan Greenslade of Worker Power asked the council to postpone action, saying he and others had surveyed hundreds of residents and that "many have cited concerns around the environment, infrastructure, [and] quality of jobs created." Greenslade said roughly 165 residents had emailed the city asking for a delay and that the infrastructure and services plan supplied "gives little detail on what infrastructure this massive development might require in the future." Margaret Schultz similarly asked the council to delay, noting that the rezoning narrative did not explicitly address Lucid Motors' lease and potential expansion on the site.
Council members asked staff to confirm that future major site plans would follow the city's public‑notice and review procedures. Staff and Lucid representatives said that major site plans would be subject to administrative review or Planning & Zoning review where state law requires, and that adopted city notification guidelines would apply.
The council approved Resolution 5860 adopting the Project Saguaro infrastructure and services plan and then approved Ordinance 3486 to extend corporate limits and authorize initial zoning. Subsequent ordinances rezoning the property (Ordinance 1178.47 to I‑2 and Ordinance 1178.471 to B‑4) were also passed by roll call vote.
The approvals set the legal and regulatory framework for future development; city staff and developers said specific site plans, development agreements and utility or roadway work would come back to the city for review and public hearings.
Next steps: the annexed land will be subject to the city’s normal site plan, development agreement and public‑notice processes when developers submit detailed proposals.
