Residents ready to oppose rezoning if Queen Creek annexes land

Queen Creek may soon be annexing almost 7 acres of Pinal County land, and nearby residents are preparing to fight any commercial development that may go up on the site.

During its Wednesday meeting, the Queen Creek Town Council will vote on whether to annex two vacant parcels making up 6.9 acres generally located at the southeast corner of Ocotillo and Meridian roads in Pinal County.

The annexation is on the council’s consent agenda in which all items are decided on one motion and vote.

The land in the Country Mini-Farms community currently is zoned suburban ranch, and under state statute it must receive equivalent zoning from the town.

The first parcel includes a single-family home with a tenant who is raising a small number of cattle in the rear yard. The second parcel includes an existing home and is temporarily being used for the staging of fiber optic cable being installed in the area, according to a staff report.

The developer, Redfield Equity, has informed town staff it plans to request that the property be rezoned to commercial following annexation.

“This annexation request will create new retail, restaurant and other commercial opportunities, contributing to overall job growth in the town,” a project narrative stated. “By bringing new shopping, dining and employment opportunities closer to residents and within municipal boundaries, the town can reduce retail and service leakage to neighboring jurisdictions, keeping dollars circulating locally.”

With an eye toward the future, some residents are ready to oppose any commercial rezoning.

“As the communities of (San Tan Valley) and (Queen Creek) have grown around us, our community has been under almost constant attack from commercial development,” resident Mark Linder stated in an email.

He added the original members of the Country Mini-Farms community filed a set of covenants specifying the lots are for residential use only and businesses may not operate on the land.

“While our covenants can’t stop the property owners from annexing into Queen Creek, we certainly will fight any attempts at commercialization of the properties,” Linder stated.

Queen Creek is aware of complaints that have been filed with the Pinal County Code Compliance Division about a business operating at the easternmost parcel of the proposed annexation area, which is not permitted under the current county zoning.

“If the property is annexed into the town of Queen Creek, the use of the site as a commercial business for the storage or staging of construction vehicles or for any other commercial purpose would not be permitted and would not be considered a non-conforming use,” the report stated.

Linder stated the community has “successfully fought off multiple restaurants, a bottling company, a wedding and events venue, a mini storage and others.”

“It is as if people see our properties and figure they can make a quick dollar by buying the land at residential prices, converting it to commercial zoning and dumping it for a profit,” he stated.

The Queen Creek Town Council meeting starts at 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 17 at 20727 E. Civic Parkway.

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