October 20, 2005

FLORENCE - Resolution of an ongoing utility issue and some zoning cases in the Maricopa area were delayed Wednesday by the Pinal County Board of Supervisors.
 
Sitting as the board of the 387 Wastewater Improvement and Domestic Water Improvement districts, the supervisors voted to continue the public hearing in which they were to determine whether Sonoran Utility Services LLC had performed its contractual obligations under its agreements or whether Sonoran should be held in default. The case has been scheduled for the Nov. 30 meeting.

Four zoning cases for development projects located in the Maricopa area also were continued at the request of both the applicants and the county's planning staff to allow time for all parties to modify some of the stipulations involved in the development agreements.

The cases involved requests for zone changes and planned-area-development overlay districts by Ham Mesa LLC to develop the 4,762-lot Siena on a 1,407-acre parcel at the southwest corner of Miller and Amarillo Valley roads and by Craig Prouty to develop the 960-lot Vintage Estates on a 320-acre parcel west of Maricopa.

Supervisor David Snider of Casa Grande said, "Both of these projects have development agreements, which are nearly ready to go, and the agreements are the place where those stipulations can be modified. Rather than trying to adopt or modify stipulations from the dais, I recommend that we table the zoning actions to coincide and concur with the development agreements, so that it's a cleaner package and everyone is satisfied."

The cases were continued to the Nov. 9 meeting.

A request for a zone change and PAD overlay district by Christopher Lenz to develop the 2,076-lot Selma Ranch on a 643-acre parcel north of Eloy was approved by the board.

After a lengthy session regarding the second appeal of a hearing officer's decision by John and Theresa Buchanan, Supervisor Lionel Ruiz of Dudleyville agreed to allow the applicants 120 days to clean up the property of inoperable vehicles and scrap. Supervisor Sandie Smith of Gold Canyon admonished the couple that there would be no further appeal hearings and that if the property was not cleaned up at the end of the 120-day period, all fines and penalties would apply.

Requests for the expansion of the Santa Rosa Utility Company sewer franchise and the Santa Rosa Water Company water franchise were unanimously approved by the supervisors.

Smith gave a presentation on renewal of the county's half-cent sales tax for transportation, scheduled for a Nov. 8 election.

©Casa Grande Valley Newspapers Inc. 2005