Pinal County supervisors rezone land to allow indoor batting cages

The Pinal County Board of Supervisors has approved two planning and zoning items that will allow for a commercial development of indoor batting cages to be built on about 2.65 acres at the southwest corner of Ocotillo and Kenworthy roads approximately 1 mile east of incorporated Queen Creek within San Tan Valley.

The supervisors unanimously approved the motions at a Feb. 7 meeting. The Pinal County Planning and Zoning Commission forwarded the owner’s requests with no recommendation because members were evenly split on approving or denying the rezoning.

Along with the building housing the batting cages, the site is set to contain a separate small strip mall for retail office space and a standalone retail space.

The owner of the site, Fern Vasi, requested that the board rezone the land from general rural zone to a general commercial zoning district, which allows for low-intensity commercial. Under the general commercial zoning district, batting cages would fall under approved uses.

The property owner’s representative at the meeting was Jessica Sarkissian with Upfront Planning. She said the strip mall would have room for six establishments and the batting cage would have eight lanes.

Four residents near the proposed batting cages voiced their disapproval in person and 20 more sent letters opposing the rezoning.

Residents told the Board of Supervisors that they were worried about the loss of a rural setting, a potential decline in property values and increased traffic.

“The biggest fear that the community has is, if the rezoning is passed, that when the batting cages go out of business what will take its place,” resident Kimberly Barnby said.

Sarkissian pointed out that any business planned on the site, whether now or in the future, would have to abide by any site plan approved by the planning and zoning commission and the Board of Supervisors.

“This site is not just a rezone. It is a planned area, it’s a PAD process. There was concern about what it would look like or what would happen after if this (batting cage business) didn’t come out,” Sarkissian said. “We are required to stay very close to the proposed site plan. We are required to stay within those requirements that we’re asking for and those permitted uses. So, it’s not like anything can just go in.”

Since the project is still in its early stages, in-depth traffic studies have yet to be done in the area, particularly at the intersection of Kenworthy and Ocotillo roads. Sarkissian said her client would make the improvements or changes needed to meet the requirements of any transportation department recommendations.

“We already know that we’re going to be partially responsible for the (traffic) light. We’re going to have on-site improvements for right-turn lanes,” she said. “We already know that we have to do a lot of improvements because of this major intersection coming in and we’re willing to do that.”

Board of Supervisors Chairman Mike Goodman discussed how commercial developments spur improvements on roads.

“One of our biggest things is to use development to help when it comes to improving our roads and making them more safe and appropriate for the amount of traffic,” Goodman said. “I just wanted to make sure that the public is aware that we are taking, probably in leaps and bounds, efforts to help move traffic properly and safely.”

A county staff report stated that the “concept of neighborhood commercial use would bring services specifically catering to local communities.”

“This site is ideal for this type of development given its location on a crossroads of two collector roadways. The northwest corner opposite this project has already been approved by the Board of Supervisors for the Elux at Ocotillo multifamily development which is currently under site plan review to introduce 269 residential units within direct proximity to this location,” the report stated. “Similarly, the nearby Ironwood and Ocotillo multifamily development approved by the Board of Supervisors introduces 711 new residential units. Additional commercial in this location will offer benefits to the residential growth this region has been experiencing.”

Goodman wrapped up the public hearing by discussing how this particular development with its batting cages will bring something he believes is just as important as road improvements or residential and commercial building.

“What do our kids do? Where do they go? We’ve been working on some park systems and things of that nature that we’re going to be introducing to the public here in the near future,” Goodman said. “That’s where we we’re missing some of our points with our youth and with our kids.”

We’d like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments, pro or con, on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org. Janet Perez can be reached at jperez@iniusa.org.