By Adam Gaub | Casa Grande Dispatch
The meetings leading up to last Thursday’s annexation vote didn’t give much of a hint of the drama behind the scenes, but there was a major party unhappy with the move.
The Maricopa City Council voted unanimously to approve the annexation of about 850 acres of land owned by a partnership known as Anderson Russell LLC — more than two-thirds of which is in Casa Grande’s planning area.
The city of Casa Grande didn’t accuse Maricopa of anything untoward, as the applicants were the ones who requested to be pulled into the Maricopa city limits. And an agreement between the two cities, that is nearly a decade old, allows for private landowners in unincorporated areas of the county to choose which of the two cities become part of.
But, Casa Grande wasn’t happy to lose out on the property. Paul Tice, Casa Grande planning and development director, said even though his city was pleased by overtures by Maricopa Mayor Christian Price to have future meetings on issues of planning area annexation, it still wanted to see the Anderson Russell property annexation — located near a small airport owned by the Ak-Chin Indian Community — delayed.
Rose Law Group attorney Court Rich, representing the property owners, said such a delay wasn’t possible because of mandated deadlines. Aside from that, he told the council the move was a necessity should the city desire future expansion in that area.
“Without this parcel, the city of Maricopa cannot annex south on the east side,” Rich said.
Property adjacent to the Anderson Russell piece, said Maricopa Interim Zoning Administrator Dana Burkhardt, is already targeted for future annexation.
An issue advanced by the Ak- Chin Indian Community was the proposal to change the entire property in the city’s general plan to a master planned community. Part of the land — which sits in the runway approach area of Ak-Chin Regional Airport — initially was a business classification.
Rich said the concerns of the tribe couldn’t be addressed now, but rather during the zoning process once the project moves forward.
He did say, however, the property owner views having the regional airport nearby as “an opportunity,” and that a master planned community could work well in that area.
