April 12, 2011
Category: News
M&A was part of team that led a citizens task force charged with developing recommendations for an amendment to the water element of Pinal County’s 2009 comprehensive plan. The team — WestLand Resources, M&A, Snell & Wilmer, and The Caliber Group — examined renewable water supplies as well as the relationship between rezoning applications and physically available groundwater supplies. The goal of this effort was to explore how the County could use its planning and zoning authority to promote responsible development given its available water supplies.
Pinal County faces challenges associated with rapid growth, a complex pattern of land ownership, and overlapping regulatory jurisdictions. It features three separate active management areas (AMAs) and a sizable area that lies outside of AMA boundaries.
The WestLand team facilitated task force meetings, authored a series of white papers, and worked directly with the Board of Supervisors and Planning & Zoning Commission for this project. The process was successful and the team forwarded a recommendation to the Board in March 2011. Among other things, the task force recommends requiring zoning applicants and developers to provide information about water demand and supply, both within and outside of AMAs.
To learn more, contact Juliet McKenna.
