At its March 16 meeting, the Queen Creek Town Council approved a development and intergovernmental agreement with the Pinal County Board of Supervisors for the industrial project on 650 acres of Arizona State Trust Land at Ironwood Drive and Germann Road. The development agreement provides specific requirements that the employer must meet, including required improvements to include an approximate 1,000,000-square-foot manufacturing plant with management, distribution, offices and administration facilities at a projected construction cost of $2.8 billion.
"We, the residents of San Tan Valley, Pinal County and Queen Creek, are requesting your assistance to make sure that our voices are heard by county, town, local, state and national representatives, many of whom were elected by We, the People," Crosby said last week in an email. "Residents of San Tan Valley, located in an unincorporated area of northern Pinal County, and residents in Queen Creek and surrounding areas are outraged after learning that the Town of Queen Creek is trying to place an electric vehicle/lithium battery plant as well as battery storage and recycling in the heart of the community. The location is on 650 acres of Arizona State Trust Land recently sold at auction to LG on April 19.
"This area was recently annexed by the Town of Queen Creek and is currently part of a rural area surrounded by homes, schools and small businesses," Crosby continued in the email. "A large area of suburban acreages and homes that are not annexed by the Town of Queen Creek will be directly affected by this plant, many of whom are across the street and within the immediate vicinity of the site. Residents were outraged to learn recently that this deal had been quietly planned for several years by local politicians who signed non-disclosure agreements with LG. The plans remained out of sight by most of the community, thereby not garnering any community attention until recently so that the plant could be slipped in without much protest. Announcements and posts have been made alluding to the fact that the plant is already a done deal, with residents reeling from the news. Residents do want jobs, but not at the expense of health, home, environment and country."
The community group also plans to attend the Pinal County Board of Supervisors meeting at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, April 27.
"The Town of Queen Creek and Pinal County have not asked for input from residents, business owners or homeowners unless they live within 1,200 feet of the proposed plant," Crosby added. "This plant will affect the community in negative ways including traffic, pollution to air and water resources, which are already strained. Residents just recently found out about the proposed plant and were astounded, but not surprised that local politicians tried to keep it quiet."
