San Tan Valley council annexes, rezones first commercial space

For the first time since incorporation, San Tan Valley has annexed and rezoned Pinal County land for commercial use in the town.

At its Wednesday meeting, the San Tan Valley Town Council approved annexing about 3.3 acres of Pinal County land on the southwest corner of Gantzel Road and Lone Star Lane. It also approved rezoning the land from rural development to community commercial.

The developers, Lone Star Planners LLC, are looking to build a “small-scale neighborhood commercial center,” according to the project narrative.

“This proposal provides a diverse mix of retail, service, health care and professional uses,” the narrative continued. “The envisioned development aims to include retail sales, personal and professional services, restaurants, medical offices, dental clinics and other compatible professional services to serve the growing community.”

The development will have two multi-tenant buildings at about 9,500 square feet each. They will be oriented toward Gantzel Road.

During a public hearing at the council meeting, some area residents expressed concerns about adding more traffic onto Gantzel Road. But others welcomed the prospect of bringing in medical services and expanding the town’s tax base.

“I have traveled … to doctors in Chandler, Mesa, Gilbert, Queen Creek and it would be nice to have something here local,” Todd Wilson, who has lived in San Tan Valley for 19 years, told the council. “I certainly do support commercial the rezoning, as well as the annexation, and I do think because of the limited commercial that is currently available in San Tan Valley, we need to take advantage of this opportunity.”

In presenting the plan, the developer’s legal representative, Adam Baugh of Withey Morris Baugh PLC, told the council that Lone Star could have stayed in Pinal County and asked the county for the rezoning.

“Do I think Pinal County would support it? I do believe they would. But there are benefits to coming to San Tan Valley,” Baugh said. “One, you get the benefits of the employment generation that come with it. Second, the standards that you guys require in your code are greater than if I were to pursue this in the county.”

The approvals came after the town’s planning and zoning commission recommended during its Sept. 26 meeting that the council deny the requests.

“Sitting in the planning and zoning meeting, being the (council) liaison, I was able to hear the case there and a lot of the complaints and concerns of the citizens. I think the applicant has done a fantastic job addressing those concerns. There are a lot of accommodations made here,” Councilmember Brian Tyler said. “This is a well thought out design, and like I said, this above and beyond expectations on addressing those concerns.”

The site will sit between low-density residential properties to the south and west, and the EPCOR wastewater facility to the east.

Building heights will be under 30 feet, most of the parking will be away from residential boundaries and there will be a “densely planted landscape buffer” along western and southern edges of the property, a council staff report stated.

After the meeting, Baugh said that getting approval from the council after being denied by the planning commission was a difficult task. He attributed the council approvals to residents’ support and the developer’s willingness to work with neighbors.

“San Tan Valley residents showed up and spoke passionately in support. They were authentic and genuine. The community spoke and the council listened,” he said. “This town council is very focused on the long-term future and sustainability of this town. They want to be good stewards of this new municipality.”

Janet Perez can be reached at jperez@iniusa.org. Please send your comments about this article to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.