Worshipers oppose development near Pinal monastery
by Mark Cowling | Casa Grande Dispatch
Residents and worshippers are opposing a new upscale subdivision on 236 1-acre lots, currently seeking approvals to develop next to St. Anthony’s Greek Orthodox Monastery, 12 miles south of Florence.
Opponents believe the new subdivision, called Serenity, would prove to be just the opposite for the monastery: New residents would play on the adjacent state land with their ATVs, music and guns, destroying the peace and tranquility that drew the monastery to this part of the desert more than 20 years ago.
The Pinal County Planning and Zoning Commission will consider a request from owners and developers Elmore/Brimhall LLC and Benjamin and Orna Avrahami to rezone nearly 333 acres from “GR” General Rural to “R-43” Residential at 9 a.m. Thursday in Pinal County Building F on North Pinal Street in Florence.
