That was the headline in today’s Casa Grande Dispatch and it was certainly cause for celebration.  Here’s the first part of the article and a link to their website:

With the approval of a zoning text amendment Wednesday, a massive motor sports complex is one step closer to breaking ground near Casa Grande.

The Pinal County Board of Supervisors approved the zoning text amendment that will allow the creation of a new zoning designation in the county for Attesa.

County Planner Steve Abraham said the zone change will apply to other areas in Pinal County that might need the mixed-use category as part of future developments.

“This was another milestone we had to pass,” said Pat Johnson, member/manager of Danrick Builders, the company behind Attesa. “But it is Pinal County that really got the win. The zoning proposal works out well for Attesa but it’s also the blueprint for other projects that are similar in size and scope. The county needs to get ready for future growth and the Board of Supervisors’ approval in creating a MP-CMP (multipurpose community master plan) is providing the foundation for that growth.”  MORE

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As the article states, the new zone category will be for developments that are more than 2,000 acres with a central component including a sporting, recreational, entertainment, amusement or cultural facility. 

That’s us.  No doubt about it.  And if we can claim that our planned advanced technology research and development center meets some definition as a cultural facility, we can honestly say our central component matches all those criteria.

The vote to approve the proposed zoning change represented a significant move forward for Attesa, Pinal County, the city of Casa Grande and our project partners and friends.

Approval of our proposal to create a new MP-CMP created a perfect example of a public/private partnership between the County and Danrick Builders.  From now on it will be much easier for developers to build large, job creating, economy-boosting mixed-use real estate projects in central Arizona.

We are now an extremely important step closer to breaking ground on Attesa.  And we have many people to thank for helping us get here.  Our legal, engineering, land planning and other resource partners have gone above and beyond the call for us, as have the economic development professionals with the state, the City of Casa Grande (even though we’re outside city limits) and especially Pinal County.

We can’t overstate our appreciation for all their work and look forward to completing the entitlements process in the coming months.