Aztec Ranch Industrial District Zone Change Narrative Table of Contents
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AZTEC RANCH INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT ZONE CHANGE NARRATIVE TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................2 2.0 BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF REQUEST ....................................................................2 3.0 EXISTING CONDITIONS ANALYSIS AND PROJECT JUSTIFICATION ................................3 3.1 Property Location and Description ........................................................................................ 3 3.2 Existing Land Use, Comprehensive Plan/Area Plan Designation and Zoning .................. 3 3.3 Surrounding Developments, Facilities and Services (Will Serve Letters) ........................... 4 3.4 Public Notification Area and Community Outreach ............................................................ 5 4.0 DESCRIPTION OF REQUEST ................................................................................................6 4.1 Project Overview and Zoning Request .................................................................................. 6 4.2 IND-1 Light Industrial Zoning District ................................................................................. 6 4.3 IND-2 Heavy Industrial Zoning District .............................................................................. 6 4.4 IND-1 Special Development Standards ................................................................................. 6 4.5 Aztec Ranch Industrial District Conceptual Development Plan.......................................... 7 4.6 Circulation and Access (vehicle and rail access).................................................................. 8 4.7 Utilities and Services ............................................................................................................... 8 FIGURES 1. Vicinity Map .............................................................................................................................. 9 2. Existing Comprehensive Plan/Aztec Area Plan Designation Map ..................................... 10 3. Existing Zoning Map .............................................................................................................. 11 4. Project Notification Area Map (1-mile enhanced notification) .......................................... 12 5. Proposed Zoning Map ............................................................................................................ 13 6. Conceptual Development Plan............................................................................................... 14 APPENDIX A. Property Legal Description and Assessor Parcel Information B. Public Notification List - 5,280’ (1-mile) Notification Area C. Service Letter from Arizona Public Service D. Service Letter from Little Colorado Water Conservation District E. Service Letter from UniSource Energy Services F. Service Letter from Apache Railway Company G. Service Letter from Taylor-Snowflake Fire & Medical H. Property Recorded Deeds (as separate attachments) Aztec Ranch Industrial District Page 1 1.0 INTRODUCTION Aztec Land and Cattle Co., Ltd. (Aztec) is requesting a zone change for 1,533 acres from A-General and RU-20 to IND-1 and IND-2. The request includes additional performance standards beyond those required within the Navajo County Zoning Ordinance to provide appropriate development buffers from adjacent residential uses. The property consists of two contiguous blocks of land, generally described as portions of the west half of Section 27 in Township 13N Range 19E, Section 25 in Township 13N Range 19E and Section 30 in Township 13N Range 20E. 2.0 BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF REQUEST In 2008, Aztec began the process of developing the Aztec Area Plan, and major amendment to Navajo County’s Comprehensive Plan, to create a framework for future planning and development of its land, now approximately 240,000 acres. In 2010, the Aztec Area Plan was adopted unanimously by the Navajo County Board of Supervisors, and became the official guiding planning document within the Navajo County Comprehensive Plan for all of Aztec’s property. The Aztec Area Plan was created in anticipation of future zoning and development of various properties within Aztec’s land holdings, with early phases being anticipated adjacent to primary transportation corridors and areas where access to utilities and services are readily available. Since the adoption of the Aztec Area Plan, Aztec has been extremely active in responding to several requests for proposals (RFPs) from both in and out-of-state employers seeking to relocate existing operations and/or expand their businesses into new markets in the Southwestern United States. Aztec has responded to RFPs from box and paper producers, a manufacturer of solar cells and panels, and various other users with plans to employ hundreds of people. Typically, these manufacturers operate on very short time frames with construction projected to commence within months of selection of a site. This has created the need for Aztec to proactively obtain industrial zoning for the property to reduce entitlement and development timeframes and meet RFP scheduling requirements. Taking the initiative now will make the property more competitive with other properties, many of which are located in or closer to urban areas and have the necessary zoning already in place. The Aztec Area Plan and the Navajo County Comprehensive Plan both support Industrial zoning through the Industrial/Employment and Community Village Character Area designations affiliated with the property. This application is the next step in the land planning and development process for a portion of the Aztec land holdings that has excellent access to transportation infrastructure, has direct access to the Apache Railway short-line railroad with interconnection to the BNSF railway in Holbrook, has access to required utilities, including water, power, and natural gas, and is suitable in size and location for a variety of industrial uses to support the growing need for industry and employment within the region. Aztec Ranch Industrial District Page 2 3.0 EXISTING CONDITIONS ANALYSIS AND PROJECT JUSTIFICATION 3.1 Property Location and Description The Aztec Ranch Industrial District includes two separate parcels of land immediately north of State Route 277 approximately 5-miles west of the Town of Snowflake in unincorporated Navajo County, Arizona. See Figure 1, Vicinity Map for the location of the Aztec Ranch Industrial District. The first parcel (referred to as the western parcel) is comprised of approximately 267 acres of land west of Douglas Parkway within the western portion of Section 27. The second parcel (referred to as the eastern parcel) is comprised of approximately 1,266 acres of land just west of Indian Pottery Road, including all of Sections 25 and 30. The properties are more specifically described as follows: Western Parcel Approximately 267 acres, including portions of the west half of Section 27 in Township 13N Range 19E, excluding approximately 53 acres in the southeast corner. Eastern Parcel Approximately 1,266 acres, including Section 25 in Township 13N Range 19E and Section 30 in Township 13N Range 20E. See Appendix A, Written Legal Description, for a more detailed legal of the property. 3.2 Existing Land Use, Comprehensive Plan/Area Plan Designation and Zoning Existing Land Uses on the Property and Surrounding Area The property is currently undeveloped land primarily used for cattle grazing. Immediately surrounding the western parcel is the Sitgraves National Forest and the former Catalyst Pulp Mill to the west, undeveloped land used for cattle grazing and ranching to the north, the Apache Railway Company headquarters and service yard to the east, and a partially developed residential subdivision and vacant land to the south. Tucked within this area near the southeast corner is an approximately 53-acre exception parcel that has been previously subdivided for residential use, with only a few residences are currently located within the subdivision. The remaining lots are vacant with no visible improvements to the property other than dirt roads. The eastern parcel is also currently vacant and used for cattle grazing. Immediately surrounding the eastern parcel is undeveloped State of Arizona property to the west, undeveloped State of Arizona and private property to the north, a partially developed subdivision with scattered single-family homes and industrial uses to the east, and scattered residential properties and undeveloped land to the south. Comprehensive Plan Character Area Designations The subject property is within Planning Area D of the Aztec Area Plan. At the time the Aztec Area Plan was adopted, Section 25 was owned by Aztec, and is designated as Aztec Industrial/Employment District, consistent with this request. The purpose of this district is to promote and encourage a wide range of large-scale industrial uses, including heavy manufacturing, factories, construction yards, production or transfer of Aztec Ranch Industrial District Page 3 goods, research and development, warehousing, distribution, and support retail and office uses. Sections 30 and the portions of Section 27 affiliated with this request were not yet owned by Aztec, and as a result were not included in the Aztec Area Plan. However, they are designated within the Navajo County Comprehensive Plan as Community Village. The Community Village character area designation is intended to provide large areas with higher density residential