On December 21st 2012, the Pinal County Board of Supervisors approved the Superstition Vistas Pinal County Comprehensive Plan amendment that the Arizona State Land Department (ASLD) had submitted in June. The vote was 2-1. The amendment was reviewed by several public bodies before it was approved by the Board. As is often the with Comprehensive Plan, there were revisions made to the original submittal including changes to density designations and the inclusion of a stipulation that requires that the State Land Department work with County staff and Resolution Copper Company regarding land use designations along the Magma Railroad Corridor. The Board of Supervisors also had concerns about the proposed changes to the 2009 Comprehensive Plan for the area located south of US 60 and east of SR 79. The Arizona State Land Department agreed to remove most of this section of the Plan amendment at the meeting on December 21st. Two urban core/commercial areas in this area that were proposed in the ASLD amendment were approved by the Board.
This is a significant milestone in the history of the Superstition Vistas Comprehensive Planning Project. A number of Superstition Vistas Steering Committee members have noted that this will likely be the first of a number of amendments proposed for this area as this project evolves over the next decades. It does, however, memorialize in Pinal County’s public documents a comprehensive approach to the future development of this immense region. There will be significant challenges facing the various stakeholders involved in the next phases of this project. These include water supply related issues, developing a comprehensive approach to infrastructure development and governance issues. The Plan as it was approved provides a thoughtful and sophisticated roadmap for county, municipal and state officials as they plan for the development that will eventually come to this important area of Pinal County.
Click here to read more on the approval from The Arizona Republic.