September 25, 2006

FLORENCE - A plan by TOUSA Homes to build a wastewater treatment plant close to the Ak-Chin Indian Community was given a favorable recommendation by the Pinal County Planning and Zoning Commission Thursday.

It was on June 15 that TOUSA had first requested a zone change and planned area development overlay district as well as an industrial-use permit to build the treatment plant on a 10-acre parcel to service the 4,000-acre Red River development south of the southeast portion of the Ak-Chin Community.

After months of negotiations with Ak-Chin Community leaders resulting in a number of concessions by the developer, an agreement was reached enabling TOUSA Homes to bring the requests before the planning commission. During Thursday's meeting, Ak-Chin representatives acknowledged the agreement and informed the commissioners that a formal document was forthcoming from the Tribal Council. The commissioners voted unanimously to forward the zoning and IUP requests to the Pinal County Board of Supervisors with a recommendation for approval but cautioned the petitioners that the agreement document would need to be in the hands of the supervisors prior to their hearing the case.

Despite concerns over transportation issues, the commission gave an approval recommendation to Omega Management Services' request for a zone change and PAD overlay district to develop the 8,088-lot Traviano on a 2,194-acre parcel on Bianco Road north and south of Interstate 8. The commissioners were troubled mainly by the fact that the oddly shaped development was split down the middle by a north-south access road (Bianco Road) to Interstate 8, as well as having the southern one-fifth of the property separated by the highway.

Located a few miles southwest of Casa Grande, a section of the Traviano community would reach as far north as Peters Road, with most of the northern boundary consisting of Cascabel Avenue-Selma Highway, bordered on the west by Carmel Boulevard and on the east by Ethington Road. The parcel reaches all the way south of the interstate to Hanna Road, with a sliver of property continuing down Ethington Road for nearly a mile.

With a possibility of at least 12,000 vehicles being owned by the community's residents moving in and out of the area with the rest of the traffic, the commissioners envisioned serious transportation problems unless improvements were made to Bianco Road in addition to improving Carmel Boulevard and Ethington Road and creating frontage roads along Interstate 8.

The developer agreed to work with ADOT and county engineers to make the necessary improvements to assure smooth-flowing traffic throughout the community and to and from the highway.

The commissioners voted unanimously to forward a request for a comprehensive plan amendment by NF 26 Land LLC Arizona to the supervisors with a recommendation for denial. The petitioner was looking to change the land-use designation on a 207-acre parcel located on the northeast corner of Miller and Warren roads from rural to transitional.

The commissioners forwarded the following requests with recommendations for approval:

-- A zone change and PAD overlay district by Bogland Associates LC to develop the 2,298-lot Cantalia on a 691-acre parcel south of the Ak-Chin Indian Community.

-- A zone change and PAD overlay district by Trilogy Johnson Farms Construction LLC to develop the Trilogy planned-area development on a 745-acre parcel east of Queen Creek.

-- A tentative block plat by TOUSA Homes Inc. for Red River-North, 40 blocks on a 1,998-acre parcel five miles south of Maricopa.

-- A tentative PAD plat by TOUSA Homes Inc. for Red River-Lifestyle 1, 1,599 lots on a 608-acre parcel five miles south of Maricopa.

Continuations

-- A request for a tentative plat by Cabarello East LLC for Caballero, 1,943 lots on a 636-acre parcel in the East Bella Vista Road area was continued to Oct. 26.

-- A request for a zone change and PAD overlay district by Lazarus & Associates PC to develop the Superstition Views at Canyon Vistas manufactured-home park on a 22-acre parcel east of Apache Junction was continued to Nov. 16.

-- A request for a zone change and PAD overlay district by KEJE Group LLC to develop the 263-lot Rubicon on an 80-acre parcel eight miles south of Maricopa was continued to Nov. 16.

A work session was held immediately after the lunch break to discuss proposed new subdivision regulation for Pinal County.

©Casa Grande Valley Newspapers Inc. 2006