by Gary Nelson
The Arizona Republic
February 19th, 2008 – It has taken Arizona almost 100 years of statehood to pull in 6 million people. The next 6 million will be here in less than half that time.That’s the consensus of those who study such things for a living – government demographers, academics, even private-sector land brokers.
A million or more of these new residents will live in a roughly triangular 275-square-mile area that touches Mesa’s southeastern border, extending nearly to Superior on the east and Florence on the south. Florence Junction, currently a wide spot in the middle of nowhere, will be roughly in the middle of this vast new urban area.
East Valley planners say the story could play out either as a dream or a nightmare.
In the dream scenario, Superstition Vistas becomes a self-sustaining community of one or more cities with jobs, shopping, recreation and a great mix of housing. The nightmare version is a sea of stucco homes whose harried occupants pile onto the Southeast Valley’s overburdened freeways for long commutes to far-flung jobs.
The East Valley Partnership, a consortium of governments, educators, businesses and civic groups, is trying to head off the nightmare.
After a nationwide search, EVP has hired Robert Grow Consulting of Salt Lake City to develop a master plan for the 175,000 acres. Jack Tevlin, who retired in 2003 as a deputy Phoenix city manager for transportation, has joined EVP as project manager.
The planning effort is expected to take 18 to 24 months and cost $1.65 million. EVP chairman Roc Arnett said the money was raised from the partnership’s members.
EVP is taking on the job because the state land department, which owns Superstition Vistas, is prevented by law from master-planning its own property before auctioning it off.
The region can’t afford to let Pinal County continue developing with a huge imbalance between residents and jobs, Tevlin told The Republic.
“Pinal County has such a poor ratio between residents and jobs, it is terrible,” Tevlin said. “One of the major goals has got to be to create a solid balance between the people who live there and jobs that are available to those people.
“If we don’t, it will become nothing more than a bedroom community where these people are living in this 275-square-mile area and getting on congested freeways either to Maricopa or Pima counties.”
Another huge challenge, Tevlin said, is to help Pinal County find money for freeways and rail transit. “You put in an infrastructure that appeals to people and draws people to the area,” Tevlin said. “If all you create are super-streets, you’re creating another bedroom community.”
Tevlin said planners can benefit from the Southeast Valley’s mistakes.
When Ahwatukee was planned, he said, Phoenix wanted the village to have large commercial employment centers, but the City Council caved in to developers who wanted to build houses instead.
“That’s why today we call it the world’s largest cul-de-sac,” Tevlin said. “That’s the very thing that you can’t let happen at Superstition Vistas.”
Planners also will look at air quality, flood control, housing densities and water resources.