[{"_1":2,"_110":-5,"_111":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_25":26},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_27":28,"_29":30},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[31,74,86,98],{"_32":33,"_34":35,"_36":37,"_38":39,"_40":41,"_42":43,"_44":45,"_46":47,"_48":49,"_50":51,"_52":53,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},"mediaId",6211264,"mediaKeyId","3698445-00ba71417eed53c1d21ede3d05d9d3e2","parentId",3698445,"title","Planning commission recommends approval of Lighthorse battery storage amendments after fire-safety discussion","audioSeconds",2268,"startMs",258000,"endMs",2526000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3698445-00ba71417eed53c1d21ede3d05d9d3e2&start=258&end=2526","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3698445-00ba71417eed53c1d21ede3d05d9d3e2/thumbnail_258000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6211264/Florence/Pinal-County/Arizona/Planning-commission-recommends-approval-of-Lighthorse-battery-storage-amendments-after-fire-safety-discussion","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6211264-5d8cc97b1e1357fd576abadc8708ef42/orig.mp4?Expires=1770043989&Signature=IQXQieLCxEySlWNJcMxVwH~YeZYCxvefSKohZiLidPJsssvy8CFIc8pFFxAgUxHxGfVbpuz9avWy5yCv5fLuHze9FBOctUFnsSDdekVB~fAAJzIjNZft36zKZ4dHEJ8sYu8p24UYFOvYD7yv1MlqLvJd34Lmiq9WJB-M67ZuCTNEQ2-PSu1GgBHfU5gdjP3TYohZ~doATrM7dTr155babjCSw1L92Qkwvm-NSqSBPRgbK6xsM8lj-3iqN6QBqBkysn-APKulgRbi-QgWeN99xybW0EuarqS9qq2c0U0WaGg5DtSiyvOYegAOCpCcBWwkLnQX2xgqUMn0Ght~sbJe3Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Town of Florence, AZ ","date","2025-06-07T04:46:53Z","article","Chairman Jeff Frost called the meeting to order and the Planning and Zoning Commission on Thursday voted to forward recommendations of approval, with conditions, for two applications that would allow a large-scale battery energy storage facility on 40.93 acres in the Dobson Farms planned unit development.

The proposals before the commission were a minor amendment to the town’s 2022 general plan (PZ-24-39) to change the land use designation from suburban neighborhood to industrial and a major PUD amendment to the Dobson Farms PUD (PZ-24-40) to add battery energy storage as an allowed use and establish development standards for the site.

Why it matters: the developer says the facility will store electricity during low-demand periods and dispatch it at peak demand to support reliability in SRP’s service area. The commission’s recommendation, if adopted by the Town Council later, would clear the way for a facility with an on-site substation and battery containers that the applicant says are 8 to 10 feet tall and will be set back at least 100 feet from perimeter property lines.

Staff presentation and proposal

Maricela, the town planning staff lead, told commissioners the town’s general plan includes a process for minor and major amendments and that the submission was under the 80‑acre threshold used to distinguish a minor amendment. Maricela said staff concluded the industrial place type was more appropriate “for what they plan to do.”

John Gillespie, a land use attorney with the Rose Law Group representing ES Volta (the project applicant), described the proposed site east of Attaway Road and south of Judd Road next to the CAP Canal and said the company seeks to preserve an open-space corridor along the canal while locating battery containers and an on-site substation closer to the SRP substation to the north.

“The site will be surrounded by other industrial uses,” Gillespie said, and he described coordination already underway with the Florence Fire Department on access and emergency response planning.

Project details and safety discussion

Louis Lumba, director of development for ES Volta, said the 40‑acre site would provide roughly 400 megawatts to the Arizona grid and store power obtained from SRP’s system rather than generate new power on-site. He told the commission the facility is intended to be quiet and to produce little regular traffic beyond occasional maintenance.

Commissioners asked for technical details about the batteries and emergency response. Lumba answered that the system would use lithium‑ion cells with lithium iron phosphate chemistry.

Chris Thomas of Kaufman Engineers, identified himself in the meeting as \"fire protection junior license in the state of Arizona,\" and described how fire departments respond to lithium‑ion battery incidents. “The battery packs are so dense. There’s no way to really penetrate into the container itself,” Thomas said. “What the firefighters do is generally just protect the exposures, monitor the heat levels in adjacent containers…use some water spray streams if they need to… and just cool adjacent containers.”

A nearby resident, Dan Dooley of Magma Ranch (unincorporated Pinal County), spoke during public comment to warn that several storage facilities are planned in the same area and to press the commission to be sure emergency services and road infrastructure can handle a worst-case event. “Once a lithium ion battery catches on fire, you already know that you can hardly put those out,” Dooley said.

Conditions, access and infrastructure

Applicant materials and staff recommendations include a minimum 100‑foot setback of battery cabinets from property lines, an 8‑foot perimeter wall to screen enclosures, two points of access from Judd Road, an emergency response plan and continued coordination and training with the fire department. The developer told the commission the design preserves the corridor for the North–South freeway alignment and that most of the site would remain out of sight of nearby residences because of distance and the canal buffer.

There were specific questions about where the SRP interconnection would be routed. Gillespie said the project will connect to the SRP substation adjacent to the site and that “my understanding…is that it’s actually gonna be going under the road” rather than on new overhead high‑tension lines.

Votes and next steps

Commissioner Wooley moved to forward a recommendation of approval for the minor general-plan amendment (case PZ-24-39) with the staff conditions; Commissioner Lehman seconded. The commission voted 4-0 in favor.

Commissioner Wooley then moved to forward a recommendation of approval for the major PUD amendment to Dobson Farms (case PZ-24-40), including the staff’s recommended conditions; Commissioner Proulx seconded. The commission voted 4-0 in favor.

Both items will now proceed to a Town Council public hearing; staff indicated the council hearing will occur in August.

Ending

Commissioners said they appreciated the applicant’s coordination with Florence Fire Department and their willingness to work with responders on training and equipment needs. The record shows the commission recommended approval of both the general‑plan amendment and the PUD amendment with conditions; the council will make the final decision.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Planning and Zoning Commission June 5, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Planning and Zoning Commission voted 4-0 to recommend approval, with conditions, of a minor general‑plan amendment and a PUD amendment that would allow a 40.93‑acre battery energy storage facility (the Lighthorse/Light Horse project) in the Dobson Farms PUD.","taxTitle","Florence, Pinal County, Arizona","taxId",51043,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_32":75,"_34":35,"_36":37,"_38":76,"_40":77,"_42":78,"_44":79,"_46":80,"_48":81,"_50":82,"_52":83,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":84,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":85,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},6211250,"Commission approves Attaway Crossing preliminary plat; developer revises secondary access to satisfy fire code",847,5737000,6584000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3698445-00ba71417eed53c1d21ede3d05d9d3e2&start=5737&end=6584","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3698445-00ba71417eed53c1d21ede3d05d9d3e2/thumbnail_5737000.jpg","/articles/6211250/Florence/Pinal-County/Arizona/Commission-approves-Attaway-Crossing-preliminary-plat-developer-revises-secondary-access-to-satisfy-fire-code","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6211250-702588fc4dd632418266c26e0cf3771f/orig.mp4?Expires=1770043989&Signature=AMS-K6tMbd4lz8KWSBEn55qEl55KDqrkKCy37-pQFPyYwmauSAHqfSZtLuDwN8asITw-LwNh4dedmiuQea8swzPDV-8tOakjsdN8zSPfNVim67pWWIcSk9Eprlzrd7eFb6ssHpRPemqLJwVKI6KcYA40xSLAco7XIl~kA32IeRoIelO0x1hOD5qEIG~qi-v6lognU-yGQkvxhYmK5VqAR2zUmUB7-VIFWvrMFUivg5HhgPX2grZOx5T1cV7jWQaLVLbkY-wTGTK0WSRyW3ZWydY0WGHQTFJJ0ZVxBlc-ITYXHnFMjVRyuSlsxuWFN-neaH~X1Akxj5o5xnhQphYqIQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Planning and Zoning Commission voted 4-0 to approve the preliminary plat for Attaway Crossing (PZ‑24‑22), a mixed residential and commercial subdivision at the northwest corner of Hunt Highway and Attaway Road.

Project and approvals

Maricela presented the application and noted the preliminary plat covers roughly 47 gross acres and would create about 518 single‑family lots in the residential portion; the overall density reported for the full PUD was about 3.5 dwelling units per acre (4.06 du/acre for residential areas). Typical lot sizes shown in the packet are 45×115 and 50×115 feet.

Fire access and transportation changes

The applicant, Doug Chubin of Cohen Van Lieu Consultants, told the commission the design team revised the entry and moved a traffic circle farther north to increase separation from Hunt Highway following prior comments. To meet the fire department’s interpretation of a required second point of entry, the applicant extended Attaway Road northward to create a T intersection at the east side of the site; staff and the technical advisory committee confirmed compliance with access standards.

Chubin also said the team re-ran traffic counts using a February count (instead of summer counts) and adjusted the traffic impact study accordingly; the revised counts showed a slightly higher afternoon peak than the original summer sample but supported the proposed measures.

Votes and conditions

Commissioner Lehman moved to approve the preliminary plat with staff recommendations; Commissioner Proulx seconded and the commission voted 4-0. Staff will require standard roadway improvements, landscaping, civil plans and continued TAC review of technical issues.

Ending

Commissioners requested alignment checks where the plat abuts existing neighborhoods to improve pedestrian connections and police visibility; the applicant said final engineering will incorporate those details. Staff confirmed concurrence with the applicant on the final set of conditions.

","Planning commission approved the preliminary plat for Attaway Crossing (PZ-24-22) at Hunt Highway and Attaway Road after the applicant moved a traffic circle and extended Attaway north to provide the required second point of access for fire response. Commissioners discussed traffic counts and confirmed agreement with staff conditions.",{"_32":87,"_34":35,"_36":37,"_38":88,"_40":89,"_42":90,"_44":91,"_46":92,"_48":93,"_50":94,"_52":95,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":96,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":97,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},6211254,"Mesquite Trails: planning panel approves New Home Co. design review and preliminary plat for phases 3–4",1415,4289000,5704000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3698445-00ba71417eed53c1d21ede3d05d9d3e2&start=4289&end=5704","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3698445-00ba71417eed53c1d21ede3d05d9d3e2/thumbnail_4289000.jpg","/articles/6211254/Florence/Pinal-County/Arizona/Mesquite-Trails-planning-panel-approves-New-Home-Co-design-review-and-preliminary-plat-for-phases-34","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6211254-f9388033a775f50911e27934ce212632/orig.mp4?Expires=1770043989&Signature=VSU0tfIid7DEskdxEYdu9HwoNAR1jSRHGOGoad2MnjW-2cjkAYEsJy1JAaYdkfDE5~-eaUmRDWLCf6uilfTm5zVL1EDl9f3IqU9~O~quIZFAVSmSbkxsCwyl0cSME-~RWvymrrSId1dK30zopg2RCBZRjyLK2ZOsg3LWo17j7TJyh~mi2KqppwXkhgZijrazh7s6FSk4p62RNybyr8CIRZlbJteAUAmZRJEtz6txoIwtdLRayz-P5DiqvCiWIZc27Tvh68Ews2cYkJHTA-6zqgMbeSDl34d5AU3KKjjGzJ~~8Y9LMP7Xz7cMUOkwjjb2ytjcOEjYGGLJ1hP1v87jeg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The commission voted unanimously to approve a design review for home products proposed by New Home Co. in Parcel 4 of the Mesquite Trails subdivision (PZ‑25‑43) and to approve the preliminary plat for phases 3 and 4 of Mesquite Trails (PZ‑25‑33).

What the approvals cover

The design review covers 116 lots in Parcel 4 with six floor plans (four single‑story and two two‑story), three elevations and three color schemes per elevation. House widths are described as 35 feet and lot widths for the parcel are 45 feet and greater; plans range from about 1,448 to 2,382 square feet. The applicant agreed to staff’s standard design conditions.

The preliminary plat for Mesquite Trails phases 3 and 4 covers 270.2 acres and 1,302 single‑family lots (lots sized roughly 4,800–6,600 sq ft; widths 45–55 feet). The plat shows centrally located amenity areas and a five‑acre community park with courts, field areas and shaded gathering spaces. Staff reported the proposal met PUD standards and that technical advisory committee review covered fire access and other civil items.

Traffic, police visibility and stormwater

Commissioners and staff discussed off‑site road improvements and how the project ties to earlier approvals and to the North–South Corridor set aside in earlier block plats. Commissioners asked for clarity on wastewater peak numbers shown in the engineering packet and asked staff and the engineer to re‑check those figures.

Commissioners also flagged a long linear drainage tract along the southern edge of the phases and asked the applicant to consider how to limit concealment opportunities and improve police visibility in shoulder or drainage areas; the applicant said staff and the applicant will continue refining landscape and wall details.

Votes and next steps

Commissioner Wooley moved approval of the design review (PZ‑25‑43) with staff conditions; Commissioner Lehman seconded. The commission voted 4‑0.

Commissioner Lehman moved approval of the preliminary plat for phases 3 and 4 (PZ‑25‑33) with staff recommendations; Commissioner Wooley seconded. The commission voted 4‑0. The approvals allow the applicant to proceed to final plat and civil plan submittal stages; builders and infrastructure timing will determine actual construction sequences.

Ending

Applicant representatives and staff told the commission they will provide final engineering, landscape and wall details during the design review and final plat processes. Commissioners urged ongoing police and fire review of open tracts and amenity areas to preserve visibility and public safety.

","The commission approved a design review for New Home Co. home models in Parcel 4 of Mesquite Trails (PZ‑25‑43) and approved the preliminary plat for phases 3 and 4 (PZ‑25‑33), which together would add more than 1,300 lots across the full phase. Staff and applicants said design and landscape conditions will be enforced at final plan stage.",{"_32":99,"_34":35,"_36":37,"_38":100,"_40":101,"_42":102,"_44":103,"_46":104,"_48":105,"_50":106,"_52":107,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":108,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":109,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},6211259,"Commission approves rezoning for Westland Village to R1-6; applicant and nearby winery express support",647,3618000,4265000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3698445-00ba71417eed53c1d21ede3d05d9d3e2&start=3618&end=4265","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3698445-00ba71417eed53c1d21ede3d05d9d3e2/thumbnail_3618000.jpg","/articles/6211259/Florence/Pinal-County/Arizona/Commission-approves-rezoning-for-Westland-Village-to-R1-6-applicant-and-nearby-winery-express-support","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6211259-1b2aec1eaa2b2d3479be78077834abd1/orig.mp4?Expires=1770043989&Signature=NPkXUxQ6nAZVxXptL8rCh8xHQUiZKAuONPwFvGFjuQKYK9RLi8ZWkp1rLiv0-zOevP7Wn6i5e8PaFQ2b5WpZtM3rt8nkX0XDFpXbrfY3SP2-uasDriD5WxYgB6cTdTW7LYj9w9CAGo2Uv3Mm7qyy6ZzQKqXkclQ5mF~VxyfGdQtmNkhCU~vcPi~2Us3LGj76QPbL2bI~1nYXMkAQO5FOFRoIQO7cnfMPgbFrGxvqCe4Am6UpWRQ4JsHUxQShQyI1dfL01GRxqsCnkytxomLE8-MOcNQB280oOln6QO6AP~aRly71U6SO~QX7cp~4XaYIpjEQ6XG9S8NSetS7b91VZw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Planning and Zoning Commission voted 4-0 to approve a rezoning application that would change a 40‑acre property at the southwest corner of Butte Avenue and Centennial Park Avenue from Rural Agriculture (RA-10) to single‑family residential R1-6 (case PLZ-25-0003).

The applicant, Jason Sanks of Lifeline Consulting, said the rezoning is a “hard zone” (a straight zoning designation rather than a PUD) intended to produce lots consistent with surrounding neighborhoods and to help generate rooftops that could support future commercial development at Territorial Square.

Why it matters: the change would permit 6,000‑square‑foot minimum residential lots under R1-6, matching density and lot patterns of nearby Sunrise Estates and Bisbee Ranch. The developer and staff said road dedications and off-site improvements would be required at time of subdivision.

Public outreach and support

Staff reported the applicant held a neighborhood meeting on May 21; no members of the public attended. The application included mailed notices to property owners per the town’s 300‑foot standard in effect when the application was filed. The applicant provided an email of support from Harold Christ of Windmill Winery; Marcela read that letter into the record during the public hearing.

Technical details and timing

Sanks told the commission the project would bring new housing that could support future commercial and entertainment uses at Territorial Square and that required road improvements and utility extensions would occur at the time of subdivision. He estimated typical R1-6 density of roughly 3–4 dwelling units per acre and said buildout timing would depend on market conditions.

Vote and next steps

Commissioner Lehman moved to approve the rezoning (PLZ-25-0003) with the staff conditions; Commissioner Proulx seconded. The commission voted 4-0 in favor. The item will go to Town Council for final action.

Ending

Staff noted the rezoning will be followed by a preliminary plat and future design/review steps as the site develops; commissioners encouraged connections to existing streets to improve neighborhood connectivity.

","The commission approved a rezoning from RA-10 to R1-6 for a 40‑acre Westland Village site at Butte and Centennial Park Avenue (PLZ-25-0003). The applicant said the change supports future commercial activity at Territorial Square; an adjacent winery submitted written support.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Planning commission recommends approval of Lighthorse battery storage amendments after fire-safety discussion

Commission approves Attaway Crossing preliminary plat; developer revises secondary access to satisfy fire code

Mesquite Trails: planning panel approves New Home Co. design review and preliminary plat for phases 3–4

Commission approves rezoning for Westland Village to R1-6; applicant and nearby winery express support