City’s “industrial triangle” generating interest

The City of Maricopa recently rezoned 300 acres south of Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway and east of N. White and Parker Road for industrial and employment uses.

City Manager Rick Horst said that potential users for the land, owned by Pinal Feeding Company, Pinal Energy, AZ Grains, and Electrical District #3, are lining up fast.

“We have a lot of interest in that area,” Horst said. “Some of that is pretty concrete, but there are multiple potential users. Some spend a lot of time on it and ultimately choose to move on; others spend a lot of time on it, and they choose us. We have a couple of international groups that are close. They’re not really huge, but it’s a start for us. We are getting more and more leads.

“We used to get one or two leads a year, and now we’re getting three or four a week,” Horst added.

He said the interest is a joint effort between the city and the Maricopa Economic Development Agency, with MEDA priming the pump and the city finalizing deals.

“MEDA starts the process, or as we say, fills the pipeline, and we work with them from there,” Horst said. “One of the potential users that we’re in talks with is a private landowner that has made an offer to buy land, so that tells you that’s moving along fairly well.”

The city staff report on the zoning and land use change highlighted the fact that the city has seen considerable residential growth in recent years, and now is poised to take advantage of that growth by adding more business and industry to its employment mix.

“As Maricopa continues to grow, there has been an exponential increase in residential homes, and the retail and commercial areas are beginning to expand as well,” the staff report states. “However, there is a lack of industry throughout Maricopa. To promote greater industry, the city has initiated a Minor General Plan amendment that will create an industrial corridor. This Minor General Plan Amendment will promote industry growth to the area, which will bring in job growth, income, and economic strength for citizens and the city.”

Horst said the efforts of MEDA and the city staff are working as the city continues to promote itself as a new player in the market competing for manufacturing and industrial jobs.

“If you want to play, you have to tell people you’re a player,” Horst said. “We spend a lot of time and energy telling people we’re here to create jobs. We’re not really interested in the old industrial park-type concepts, and frankly, those they don’t exist that much anymore anyway. We want to do things that add to the community and that lift the community up not anything that would ever pull it down.”