State again postpones Goodyear land auction

By Kelly O’Sullivan
Twitter: @AzNewsmedia

Will four be a charm for those wondering who will purchase 1,099 acres of state-owned land up for auction in Goodyear?

The Arizona State Land Department auction scheduled for June 10 has been postponed until 9 a.m. Thursday, July 15, in the department’s basement room at 1616 W. Adams St. in Phoenix, according to a department spokesperson.

The move marks the auction's third postponement.

The state originally planned to auction the land near Perryville Prison on April 21, but postponed it until May, then June.

It’s not uncommon for land auctions to be postponed, the spokesperson said.

Starting bid for the land will be $127.7 million, with proceeds going to the state’s schools and penitentiary funds.

The site is bordered by Indian School Road on the north, McDowell Road on the south, Perryville Road on the west and Citrus Road on the east.

In anticipation of the sale, the Goodyear City Council voted unanimously March 22 to conditionally rezone 1,060 acres leased to Duncan Family Farms from agricultural to a combination of office, light industrial and general industrial.

READ: City Council OK’s rezoning of 1,060 acres from agricultural to office, industrial

The remaining acreage is leased to the Arizona Department of Corrections.

Samsung Electronics Co. is considering the site for a $17 billion semiconductor plant it plans to build in the U.S.

The company also is considering a site in the East Valley, two in Texas and another in New York, according to national news reports that indicate the company is leaning toward a site in Austin.

If Samsung ultimately decides to go with another site, that would likely come as a relief to some living near the Goodyear property.

During the rezoning public hearing in March, residents from the Litchfield Farms and Sedella communities spoke in opposition, citing concerns about increased truck and other traffic, noise, tall buildings, the strain on water resources and the potential for water and air pollution traffic.

For others like Hector Hernandez, a West Valley carpenter, it will mean continued commutes to the East Valley for work if Samsung doesn’t buy the property.

“We live here, we play here, we worship here. We would love to work here,” Hernandez to the council in March. “It’s going to be great for the city, it’s going to bring revenue to the city and it’s going to bring jobs to people like me, who didn’t go to college but yet I’m a tradesman.”

Kelly O’Sullivan can be reached at kosullivan@newszap.com or 760-963-1697.