San Tan Valley's town council has approved annexing and rezoning roughly 3.3 acres of Pinal County land for commercial use, marking the first time the town has done so since incorporation. The site, at the southwest corner of Gantzel Road and Lone Star Lane, is set to become a small neighborhood shopping center with two buildings.
The council voted to shift the land's zoning from Rural Development to Community Commercial, according to Your Valley. The developer, identified in that report as Lone Star Planners LLC, plans to build two multi-tenant buildings of about 9,500 square feet each, oriented toward Gantzel Road. A separate account from Pinal Post lists the developer as Lone Star Partners LLC, and the two outlets' reporting differs on the exact company name.
The project narrative describes a mix of retail, service, health care and professional uses, per the council record cited by the outlet. Specifically, it lists retail sales, personal and professional services, restaurants, medical offices and dental clinics as envisioned tenants, though no specific businesses have been named and no construction timeline has been disclosed.
Residents Weighed Traffic Concerns
Area residents have raised concerns about additional traffic on Gantzel Road. Still, some residents welcomed the prospect of local medical services and an expanded tax base for the town, according to the same report.
Todd Wilson, who the outlet says has lived in San Tan Valley for 19 years, supported the commercial rezoning and annexation.
Applicant's Legal Representative
Adam Baugh represented Lone Star Planners LLC in its effort to annex the site into San Tan Valley.
San Tan Valley residents spoke in support of the development at the council meeting.
Rural homes lie to the west of the site, while the EPCOR wastewater facility is across Gantzel Road. The plan also included a change to parking placement.
How It Compares to Other San Tan Valley Proposals
The development pipeline includes a 27-acre commercial center near WinCo and Home Depot. Pinal Central also reported that the planning commission recommended approval of a rezoning application for the project.
It's not the first time Pinal County-area officials have overruled a planning commission's objections to greenlight development. Pinal Central also reported that the Pinal County Board of Supervisors approved rezoning on May 15 for an apartment and retail development of almost 17 acres in San Tan Valley despite opposition from both county staff and the Planning and Zoning Commission. Those episodes suggest local boards have repeatedly sided with developers over planning-level objections in the area's recent growth push.
