News updates are sent daily. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Mesa to vote on state-land study
Digg|
Save|
License|
Print|
E-mail|
The Mesa City Council is expected to decide today whether to chip in on the cost of a study that will map out the potential course of urban development for 300 square miles of state-owned Pinal County land.
By taking part in the study, Mesa would join forces with Apache Junction. Both cities have expressed interest in annexing what’s being called the Superstition Vistas area, although Mesa has since backed down from such intentions.
Deputy state land commissioner Richard Hubbard said Wednesday that the bulk of this land is not going to be on the market for some time, but the Lost Dutchman Heights area just south of Apache Junction could go up for sale in about two years.
Mesa is being asked to contribute $33,500, or a sixth of the cost, of a Morrison Institute study that will attempt to resolve water supply, land-use and other development issues on the stretches of empty desert.
Apache Junction, Pinal County, Central Arizona Project, Salt River Project and the conservationist Sonoran Institute have all agreed to help fund the study, East Valley Partnership president Roc Arnett said.
Mesa Mayor Keno Hawker said he wants the city to have a role in guiding development in the area to make sure residential subdivisions don’t impede growth near Williams Gateway Airport, and the city does not plan to annex any land over the county line.
He said Mesa’s projected buildout plan stretches to 2025, and, "It does not include Pinal County, so it should give them an idea of whether we’re interested."
Apache Junction officials have long maintained that annexing at least some of the state land is crucial to the city’s future, and protecting its interests there is a factor in its fight against the Gold Canyon incorporation movement.
Mayor Doug Coleman said he’s taking Hawker at his word and doesn’t have any qualms about Mesa helping fund the study, but future Mesa councils might feel differently about annexation.
"My fears are not totally resolved," he said. "I don’t think they will be until that area is annexed into a community."
Please add your comments, but follow these guidelines to keep this a safe, credible place for discussing the news: