The Mesa City Council voted recently to increase
Mesa’s planning area to encompass 10.6 square miles
of state trust land in neighboring Pinal County.
Although the idea wasn’t new (I mentioned it in my
January state of the city address and spoke about it
again at an East Valley Partnership event last
month), the recent Council action renewed interest
in the issue and left some wondering why Mesa would
take this action.
For me, there are many reasons why this is an
important step for Mesa to take. Three of those
reasons are named Johnson Ranch, Verrado and Anthem.
Constructed on the outskirts without adequate
transportation infrastructure, these large
subdivisions look to regional funding to fix their
commuter woes. Ideally, this never would have
happened. Large subdivisions would be required not
only to have ample water, but ample roads, too.
Communities elsewhere in the nation have instituted
public facilities ordinances to require that
adequate infrastructure be constructed before or
concurrent with new development. But such measures
do not exist on state trust land, and that includes
the 275-square-mile parcel on Mesa’s eastern border.
With state trust land reform failing at the
ballot box and no adequate public facilities
ordinance on the horizon, this huge swath of land is
ripe for new, large subdivisions. And, although
Governor Napolitano has made great strides by
directing the State Land Department to work more
closely with the Department of Transportation to
identify and protect key transportation corridors,
adequate roads aren’t my only concern. I’m also
concerned with incompatible land uses, including
homes being built under a flight path, next to an
industrial park, or in the path of a future freeway.
Williams Gateway Airport and Regional Job Center,
located on the border of Pinal County, is a dynamic
mix of outstanding educational institutions, premier
employers and unlimited potential. The success of
the Job Center will depend upon a variety of
factors, including continued support from all of the
Airport Authority partners, critical infrastructure
improvements and protection from residential
encroachment . . . and not just to Mesa’s border.
That is why the new planning boundary approved by
Council extends north to Ray Road, south to Germann
Road and east to the CAP canal – an area which
encompasses a critical portion of the flight path
Boeing has urged us to protect.
While Mesa is not looking to annex into Pinal
County and I remain hopeful that another
municipality or an entirely new community will have
the means to plan responsibly and institute
compatible land uses along our shared border, given
the substantial investment our residents have made
in Mesa’s transportation infrastructure and the
Regional Job Center, we must ensure that future
development in Pinal County does not negatively
impact our plans for the Airport or the planned
Williams Gateway Freeway. Participating in the
planning process is the best way to make Mesa’s
concerns known.
