Edison Road extension gets grant funds

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About a mile of new roadway could boost the ongoing development of the Estrella Gin Business Park.

A $250,000 grant will at least help in that endeavor.

The Arizona Commerce Authority awarded the Rural Economic Development Grant (REDG) to the City of Maricopa to extend Edison Road through the park site to State Route 238.

With the funds in hand, the city anticipates starting the road extension project in the spring and could be finished by the end of 2015, according to Economic Development Management Analyst Michael Winer.

As planned, the road would extend west beyond Donald Pearce Fire Station No. 575 and curve north to SR 238. Edison Road now runs from Butterfield Parkway in the east, across John Wayne Parkway, and then provides a handful of access points for residential streets before dead-ending at the fire station.

“The extension would create the kind of highway access businesses need, and the greater east-west access could alleviate some of the congestion,” Winer said.

The REDG is a competitive grant dedicated to helping rural communities develop infrastructure. The $250,000 received by Maricopa was the maximum individual award. The Economic Development Department applied for the grant in September.

The planned road extension will be four lanes with a center median, curb and gutter and a bicycle lane.

The 52-acre business park site on the former location of a historic cotton gin is part of a 69-acre parcel purchased by the City of Maricopa for $3.2 million in 2011. In May of this year, the city hired The Boyer Company to develop the business park, which has 40 acres of land available for commercial development.

Mayor Christian Price has called the Estrella Gin Business Park a “key project” for the city. Economic Development Director Micah Miranda referred to it as “a huge milestone.” Maricopa needs infrastructure in place to make the site “shovel-ready” for new businesses.

At Tuesday’s meeting the city council will see on its consent agenda an upgrade from a 12-inch sewer line to a 36-inch line along SR 238 between Roosevelt and Edison Road. The cost estimate for the 2,000-foot design change is just under $35,000. The upgrade is included in the scope of the Edison Road improvement project.

Estrella Gin will be the city’s first business park.