Petition to the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors

TO: The Honorable Members of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors

RE: Opposition to Major Comprehensive Plan Amendment Application Case No. CPA2500008

We, the undersigned property owners and residents of Maricopa County, Arizona, hereby file this petition to formally oppose the Major Comprehensive Plan Amendment Hassayampa Ranch, Case No. CPA200008, which seeks to change land usage and eventually rezoning approximate 2,077 acres that are identified as Parcel # 504-03-010A and 504-03-010B from residential to light commercial.

The proposed amendment is incompatible with the existing character and general welfare of our community, and we believe it is not in the best interest of Maricopa County residents for the following reasons:

1 - Environmental Impact

The development of this parcel threatens to disrupt the quality of life for residents and the diversity of habitats and ecosystems for domestic animals, wildlife, and desert landscape. In addition, it will also increase air pollution from additional traffic, and it will put further strain on an already burdened groundwater level.

The introduction of outdoor lighting has detrimental effects on the desert ecosystem by disrupting natural behaviors, interfering with food webs, and altering plant and animal life cycles. It disorients not only nocturnal species, such as bats, affecting their mating and pollination activities, but also the internal magnetic compass birds use for navigation, reproductive success and survival. Light pollution also disrupts circadian rhythms in animals and plants, leading to physiological changes and increased mortality. Additionally, it obstructs view of the night sky, impacting astronomical observations.

Noise pollution will be amplified, caused by industry activities directly and also by the increased traffic of humans and vehicles in the area. Noise pollution has a major impact on both domestic and wild animals. Not only does it trigger the flight response in animals, evicting them from their habitats and disrupting nesting and rearing behaviors, thereby increasing the mortality of young or preventing birth altogether, it also interferes with the ability of wild animals to hear vital sounds, limiting their ability to detect prey and predators. Noise pollution has even been proven to change the characteristics of animals (birds, frogs, insects, etc.) that use vocalizations during social behaviors. Anthropogenic noises often conceal the vocalizations that birds use to attract mates and announce territorial ownership. This has reduced mating success in birds while it has also forced some species to change their behaviors altogether, whether it be the sound frequency they produce, affecting mate selection and thereby having evolutionary consequences, or choosing a quieter time of day to sound their mating call, which again, narrows the chance of mating success, particularly as those “quiet times” become less and less frequent.

Furthermore, this development would produce and exacerbate electromagnetic noise, which disrupts bee populations, their communication methods for foraging efficiency in particular, and also interferes with magnetic compass orientation in birds (as does polarized light reflected from shiny surfaces, like the windows of industrial buildings), altering migration routes and timing and reducing reproductive and foraging success. Electromagnetic noise also affects the growth and development of juvenile birds.

Natural resource depletion (specifically water, a limited resource to begin with in a desert environment) and habitat encroachment caused or exacerbated by this development cannot be ignored. This will lead to further habitat loss and ecological changes for all local and migrating organisms. 

All of the external costs described above affect species interactions and population dynamics, and can completely destabilize ecosystems. As stewards of this planet and key drivers of destructive environmental impact, it is our responsibility to curtail or prevent environmental tipping points, the collapse of natural ecosystems. And industry should be held most accountable as it is industrial development and activity that produces the most harmful and consequential impacts to the environment.

2 - Traffic and Infrastructure Strain

The requested amendment (eventual rezoning) will significantly increase traffic congestion on, N 339th Ave., Tonopah/Salome Rd., Indian School Rd., and N 335th Ave., creating a public safety hazard for pedestrians, cyclists, equestrians, motorists, and wild and domestic animals. The current infrastructure is not designed to accommodate high volume traffic of any kind, especially commercial trucks.

3 - Negative Impact on Property Values and Quality of Life

Typically, the introduction of industrial buildings causes a reduction in the value of surrounding residential neighborhood properties. Commercial construction for light industrial use that may include a warehouse, data center, sand and gravel and/or a power generation facility is a poor fit for our residential community that will degrade the peaceful enjoyment of our properties.

We are concerned that these negative externalities will lead to a decrease in our property values and diminish the overall quality of life in our neighborhood.

Noise and light pollution not only have an impact on domestic animals and wildlife (as described in paragraph 1), but they also have a negative impact on human health, particularly mental health induced by sleep disturbances and stress, which in turn can compromise the immune system and exacerbate physical ailments or conditions like cardiovascular disease and diabetes, as well as cognitive problems like attention deficits and memory impairment. Health effects which would hurt the residents of the community nearest this development the most; a neighborhood made up predominantly of people who have escaped the city, and its harmful negative externalities, specifically for physical and mental health reasons, their very own welfare or that of their families. This development puts these people at the highest risk of health deterioration and early death. 

4 - Inconsistency with Comprehensive Plan

We maintain that this application is not consistent with the Maricopa County Comprehensive Plan. The plan designates this area for residential use. The proposed change represents an inappropriate spot-zoning action that deviates from the county’s long-term vision as stated in the MCC Plan on the Maricopa County website.

-          The current amendment (rezoning) plan is not promoting development that considers adverse environmental impacts on the natural and cultural environment, preserves highly valued open space. It does not improve air quality nor minimize noise impacts. It is not compatible with natural environmental features and will lead to their destruction. It does not protect or preserve existing water resources. Lastly it does not preserve existing habitat areas of wildlife and/or desert plant species.

For these reasons, we urge the Board of Supervisors of the Planning and Zoning Commission's to reject the recommendation for approval of the Major Comprehensive Plan Amendment and deny the application for Case No CPA2500008.

Signatures attached.