Key Points
- Casa Grande’s Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval of a 1,833-acre Cactus Mine land use change.
- The change would convert the land to Manufacturing and Industry, expanding that category citywide by 9.33 percent.
- The expansion presses industrial land toward existing residential areas.
- The expanded acreage could host waste rock storage, heap leach pads, and mining around the historic Sacaton Mine.
- Buffers, including a planted earthen mound, are proposed along portions of the property.
- City Council is scheduled to vote on June 15, 2026, with a separate rezoning to follow.
CASA GRANDE, AZ — The Casa Grande Planning and Zoning Commission voted on May 7, 2026 to recommend approval of a Cactus Mine land use change covering roughly 1,833 acres adjacent to land previously planned for housing and commercial development. The expanded acreage could eventually allow mine operations including waste rock storage and heap leach pads in addition to extraction. To address impacts, the company is proposing buffers along portions of the site, with details to be set in a future rezoning.
The commission forwarded the recommendation to City Council, which is scheduled to consider the request on June 15, 2026. However, this action only changes the General Plan designation. A separate rezoning, known as a Planned Area Development (PAD) amendment, must still come back before the commission later this year before any new mining activity can proceed.
Industrial Designation Replaces Housing and Commercial Plans
The applicant, Cactus 110 LLC, an Arizona Sonoran Copper Company entity, is seeking to convert about 1,832.5 acres from Neighborhoods, Community Corridor, and Commerce & Business to Manufacturing and Industry. The site sits northeast of Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway and south and southeast of Val Vista Boulevard.
The land use change presses the mine property closer to existing residential areas, including developments along North Burris Road. The shift moves land previously planned for homes and commercial development toward industrial use.
A regional bike path is proposed along the eastern side of the property, running north-south.
Why the Sacaton Mine Expansion Is Moving Forward
Cactus 110 LLC says the change supports the reopening and modernization of the historic Sacaton Mine, which was operated by ASARCO, the Tucson-based American Smelting and Refining Company, from 1972 to 1984. ASARCO shut down the mine for economic reasons and placed it in care and maintenance until August 2005, when the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The site was then placed in an environmental custodial trust with the State of Arizona as beneficiary. Bankruptcy funds were insufficient for full closure of the site, leaving it as a potential taxpayer liability. Cactus 110 began working with the trust and state agencies, primarily the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, in 2018 and acquired the property in 2020.
Travis Snider, vice president of sustainability and external relations for Arizona Sonoran Copper Company, addressed the commission directly on this point.
“Whenever we acquired this project in 2020, this was actually a taxpayer liability, so we have assumed the responsibility for any operations or cleanups that need to happen in the future,” Snider said.
The staff report notes the project is expected to create high-paying jobs for skilled workers in roles such as mining engineers, industrial mechanics, technicians, geologists, project managers, equipment operators, and truck drivers. Furthermore, staff found the request aligns with General Plan goals to diversify industrial land uses and accommodate aggregate and mining operations.
City staff also noted that the Planned Area Developments approved in the early to mid-2000s for this area never obtained Certificates of Assured Water Supply, a state-required proof of long-term water availability for new subdivisions. Although Arizona Water Company received its Designation of Assured Water Supply in March 2026, the city expects housing development to prioritize infill areas closer to existing roads, sewers, and water lines rather than this outlying site.
Public Comments and Stakeholder Engagement
Before the meeting, staff received one phone call and two emails from adjacent property owners. Approximately five adjacent property owners attended the first Major General Plan Amendment meeting held earlier at the recreation center.
One resident, who said he lives 1,000 feet from the development, asked the commission to define the buffer requirement.
In response, Senior Planner Jaclyn Sarnowski explained that buffer specifics are not set through the General Plan amendment process. Instead, those details will be addressed in the forthcoming PAD amendment.
When Commissioner Garrett Aldrete asked Snider whether the company had begun planning the buffer, Snider said Cactus 110 is looking at 500 feet from the property boundary, including along the north side near the resident’s property.
Buffers and Environmental Commitments
The General Plan amendment supports placement of a view shed berm along the eastern and northeastern sides of the property. The berm is a raised earthen mound designed to block sightlines into the mining operation, and the applicant has indicated it could be built from contoured and vegetated waste rock. According to the application narrative, open space buffers of 200 to 500 feet wide are planned in various parts of the property.
The applicant says it has committed to a reclamation plan under the guidance of the Aquifer Protection Permit and Best Available Demonstrated Control Technology standards. Under Arizona law, reclamation means making a mined site stable and safe for a planned future use after mining ends. The narrative cites General Plan Goal AR-2, which supports reclamation practices that allow mined sites to be redeveloped for long-term uses.
Val Vista is planned to become a major east-west roadway, which staff said will provide an additional buffer between mining operations and development to the north. That roadway will be discussed in more detail during the PAD amendment.
Pending Acquisition by Hudbay Minerals
Arizona Sonoran Copper Company is in the process of being acquired by Hudbay Minerals Inc., a Canadian copper producer listed on the TSX and NYSE. The companies announced a definitive agreement on March 2, 2026, and the transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2026, subject to regulatory approvals.
As a result, the Cactus Project may be operated under Hudbay ownership by the time the PAD amendment returns to the Planning and Zoning Commission. The deal would give Hudbay a 100 percent interest in the Cactus Project, which the company describes as part of a larger copper hub in southern Arizona alongside its Copper World project near Tucson.
According to the announcement, Cactus is projected to produce an average of 103,000 tonnes of copper annually over its first ten years, based on a pre-feasibility study dated October 20, 2025. However, Hudbay has stated it intends to update the pre-feasibility study after closing, indicating its own technical and design assumptions differ from those in the current study.
Vote and What Was Converted
Vice Chair Celeste Garza moved to recommend approval, seconded by Commissioner Andrew Clegg. The motion passed with yes votes from Commissioners Ibrahim, Clegg, Smith, Aldrete, and Hubbard, along with Chairman Benedict.
The acreage being converted to Manufacturing and Industry breaks down as 1,022.5 acres of Neighborhoods, 452 acres of Community Corridor, and 358 acres of Commerce and Business. Those reductions add up to a 9.33 percent citywide gain in Manufacturing and Industry land.
Coming Before Council and Returning for Rezone
Casa Grande City Council is scheduled to take up the Major General Plan Amendment on June 15, 2026. If approved, the PAD amendment will follow, giving residents another opportunity to comment on specific buffer distances, permitted uses, and site design. Those development standards will be set through that rezoning process.
