Pinal County Planning For Growth

The Casa Grande Dispatch reports that Pinal County is processing between 1,000 and 1,500 building permits a month, and that's only in the unincorporated areas. In the unincopporated areas of Pinal County, over 27,000 lots were created in the last year, and Pinal County has 300,000 lots in some stage of the entitlement process.

Pinal County is working hard to plan for all the projected new growth, from updating zoning codes and general plans, planning for future transportation corridors, and implementing impact fees. Pinal County is experiencing a 20% growth rate. In comparison, Phoenix grew at a 2.5% rate.

The county has a new, 15-point plan called the Growth Planning Initiative, which incorporates impact fees, planning fees and open space requirements to support growth. Regional water and wastewater solutions for emerging areas are also a concern, as are floodplain issues and pollution. The goal is to make Pinal County a quality place to live and work by planning the growth now before it occurs. More...