In the face of loud opposition, voters will pass a special ballot measure authorizing the City of Maricopa to sell land for a future industrial megasite, InMaricopa projects with 53% of precincts reporting this afternoon.

Some 57% of voters in yesterday’s election supported Proposition 482, which allows the city to sell 728 acres of land it owns to fund “community and economic development designed to create local jobs and enhance the local economy.”

A July 13 InMaricopa poll of 304 random voters was within a five-point margin of error this afternoon; in the poll, 62% said they would support the land sale.

The sale includes 328 acres of the $29.3 million industrial land purchase Maricopa City Council approved in April. This area is planned for the city’s future industrial park, dubbed the Industrial Triangle, which has already generated interest from two waste processing companies that plan to invest some $1.9 billion in industry.

Other projects that hinged on the passage of Prop 482 include a mix of commercial and multifamily housing developments scattered around the city.

More than 2,600 voters — about 43% — voted against the land sale.

Province resident Andre Blakely last week claimed voters were “being gaslighted” and the industrial park “will never be built.” Others said they were concerned about pollution and whether there would be substantial job creation. The dissenters feared commercial parcels could be rezoned to residential.