Palo Verde Regional Park gets go-ahead
by Kelly Fisher | Casa Grande Dispatch
The Pinal County Board of Supervisors has approved a 30-year master plan to develop the controversial Palo Verde Regional Park, which garnered extensive public input — from both supporters and those in opposition — for months.
The approval means non-motorized and motorized trail use, equestrian use, family picnic areas and playgrounds, camping, shooting and interpretive and miscellaneous uses once the park is fully developed west of Maricopa, based on the opinions given in the recreational activity evaluation and a “middle ground” of options.
Supervisors passed the plan without discussion Dec. 21, though they held a nearly hour-long work session the previous week to hear the Pinal County Open Space and Trails Master Plan. Last week’s approval articulates a framework for the project and allows the county to work with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management on a Cooperative Recreation Management Agreement.
According to the item, expected performance impact of the Pinal County Open Space and Trails Master Plan includes a 10 percent increase in regional park acreage and a 49 percent increase in regional trail miles acquired by 2017.
