By Angela De Welles
 Independent Newspapers Queen Creek voters are one step closer to having a say on the town’s updated gen­eral plan, but neighboring offi cials in Mesa are concerned with portions of the plan­ning document.
  Members of the Queen Creek Planning and Zoning Commission approved the updated plan on April 23. It will now go before the town council and then on to the public for final approval.
  Town planners have been working to update the general plan for more than a year. Cities and towns are required by law to have a general plan to guide the area’s growth and development. Municipalities must also update the plans regularly.
  When Queen Creek fi rst started the process, three plan concepts were pre­sented to residents. They ranged from very low density to an option with more land use options allowing for employment and commercial development.
  Town offi cials sought feedback from residents and business owners and ended up creating a fourth option in an effort to balance residential and employment areas in town.
  During his presentation to the commis­sion last week, Planning Manager Wayne Balmer said the updated plan strives to keep Queen Creek unique while planning for the future.
  The plan calls for tree-lined streets, historic themes and distinctive designs of walls and entry features along with an em­phasis on keeping open space. The update also promotes the town’s character while focusing on the town’s growth areas in­cluding the town center, the Meridian Road corridor, the Germann Road/Queen Creek corridor and the Superstition Vistas.
  It was Queen Creek’s inclusion of the Superstition Vistas in its general plan that caught the attention of Mesa.
  Mesa Mayor Keno Hawker drafted a let­ter to Queen Creek offi cials outlining his concern with a parcel of the state land that Queen Creek has included in its planning area.
  The land, totalling about five square miles, north of Germann Road and East of Meridian Road, has been included in a Queen Creek effort to bring more com­mercial development and employment  and eventually freeway frontage to the town’s boundaries.
  The parcel is not within any municipal boundary now and is part of about 300 square miles of state trust land that continues east of Queen Creek.
  In his letter Mr. Hawker states the parcel has already been incor­porated into Mesa’s planning area more than a year ago.
  “ While future land use plan­ning will undoubtedly be contin­gent upon the activities of the State Land Department, we believe ex­tending Queen Creek’s planning area to include the same land area may confuse future planning efforts,” Mr. Hawker stated.
  Michelle Green, a project man­ager for Arizona State Land De­partment addressed the commis­sion on the same subject.
  “ We’re working on a collab­orative process to do a planning effort,” said Ms. Green, adding Apache Junction, Mesa, Queen Creek and Pinal County should all be involved in planning the area.
  She said including the parcel in the general plan is “premature.”
  “Really what we want is to hold off,” she said.
  Mr. Balmer said the town wants freeway frontage and wants to show its interest in the land by including it in the planning area.
  “It wasn’t that the town want­ed to lock it up,” he said.
  Planning Commissioner Jeff Brown said the decision to in­clude the area, or not, is a political one and should be handled by the town council instead of the Plan­ning and Zoning Commission.
  Mesa’s mayor also had an is­sue with Queen Creek’s plan to include low- and medium-density residential housing within the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport overfl ight zones and a plan to re­align traffic from Ellsworth Road.
  The commission voted unani­mously to approve the update, in­cluding town staff recommenda­tions to add an area to the town’s planning area between Meridian and Gantzel roads and Combs and Empire roads. The land is being considered for annexation into the town and eventually will hold a new Banner Ironwood Health Center.
  Resident Chris Clark attended the Planning and Zoning Com­mission meeting and said he is happy with the update.
  “I think it was a good mix of the three original concepts pro­posed,” said Mr. Clark, adding he likes that the plan update in­cludes more commercial and em­ployment uses, while protecting equestrian area.
  The state trust land should be included in Queen Creek’s plan, according to Mr. Clark.
  “It’s critical for us,” he said. “ That freeway frontage is an eco­nomic engine.” The updated plan will go be­fore the town council on May 7 for an introduction. Council members will consider approving the plan on May 21 and it will go on the ballot Sept. 2.
  Post your opinions in the Public Forums at newszap.com. News Editor Angela De Welles can be reached at 480-982-7799 or adewelles@newszap.com.