Pinal County Growth Expectations

Officials confer on development, impact on cities...

The Arizona Republic reported on the Pinal County Partnership meeting yesterday.

It reports that Coolidge wants creativity in its new housing developments, not just packing the houses in to make a quick profit.

Casa Grande wants to be a self-sustaining city.

Maricopa wants more schools and fire stations just as bad as developers want to build more and more homes.

Apache Junction is dealing with state land that will be auctioned off next fall, and wanted developers to know that they want nature-friendly planning and a variety of housing choices for families.

Florence wants to preserve the old downtown area so the large lots and wide streets can remind residents what the rural town use to be like before development.

There were also a few jabs thrown out by Florence Mayor Tom Rankin toward Coolidge, which is in an annexation battle with Florence. More...