For years, land reform backers have failed to change the Arizona Land Department’s operating laws, which require the agency to sell its parcels of Arizona trust land to the highest bidder, even if another group has a better plan or financing.
Selling big blocks of state land to deep-pocked developers, which then can quickly resell or lease the land, is an alternative being pushed by reformers.
Companies looking for large swaths of dirt to build manufacturing sites near metro Phoenix or Tucson eye state land parcels, including the 275-square-mile Superstition Vistas in Pinal County. But companies often or must opt to expand or relocate to parcels that are privately owned, and not because of lower land costs.
Information from The Arizona Republic.
