CASA GRANDE, AZ — The Casa Grande Dispatch is reporting an out-of-state company has put Casa Grande on a short list of prospective locations for the site of a new facility that could inject up to 700 full-time jobs into the economy.
Referred to as Project 78, the company chooses to remain anonymous until it decides on the location for its new facility.
The city of Casa Grande’s Economic Development manager, Richard Wilkie, said the company has been looking at the Central Arizona Commerce Park to possibly construct its facility, which is estimated to take up between 200 and 400 acres.
The initial capital investment of Project 78 is projected to be about $1.4 billion.
Wilkie said the city is waiting to hear back from the company to find out what the next steps are in their decision-making process. He added Project 78 has spent several years looking for the perfect site and first appeared on Casa Grande’s radar two years ago.
“They’re going to take their time to pick the right site for them,” Wilkie said.
Casa Grande Mayor Bob Jackson recently told a meeting of the Economic Development Group of Eloy that the large industrial company has narrowed its site selection down to Casa Grande and Salt Lake City.
The Arizona Commerce Authority reportedly referred Project 78 to consider Casa Grande and other central Arizona cities as potential candidates.
The Central Arizona Commerce Park, located on the northeast corner of Burris and Peters roads, consists of 580 acres that is able to accommodate most industrial uses.
Tim Smith, the park’s co-owner, said the location is appealing for developments such as Project 78 because of its accessibility to Interstates 8 and 10. He added the park has received quite a few inquiries from outside companies since the Tractor Supply Co. distribution center broke ground on a 100-acre parcel of the park late last year.
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