New group aims to unify Santan area

The Santan area has been described as 46,000 people who are neighbors without a sense of community.

The area boomed in the last 10 years and suburbia bloomed, but many residents commute to jobs in Mesa, Tempe, Gilbert and Phoenix.

Now, a newly created group called the Greater San Tan Area Coalition wants to bring together residents to create a common vision.

The core group of the coalition consists of five developers, four members of the San Tan Area Chamber of Commerce and two co-chairs.

The two co-chairs are Jack Malpass, former San Tan Area Chamber of Commerce president, and Gordon Brown, a community activist.

"If you're involved with the development community then you have a better chance than sitting around and waiting for the development community to give you what they want," Brown said.

The group has been working with Pinal County to create a "subarea plan" that would establish the community's vision for creating jobs, shopping opportunities and preserving open space.

But with Florence and Queen Creek developing roads that lead to Johnson Ranch, Copper Basin and San Tan Heights, the area's tie to Pinal County could eventually change.

The group said it's not interested in guiding any effort to incorporate into nearby towns, but rather they want their organization to have a say in how their area develops.

"A seat at the table is likely and a seat at several tables," Brown said. "In a nutshell, we're not concerned with whose flag is going to fly. What we're concerned about is what they are going to do."