Business View Civil and Municipal l December 2022

34 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 9, ISSUE 12 says. “We have great relationships with our public and charter schools.” One of these efforts includes the development and construction of Drive48, an advanced manufacturing training center located on the Central Arizona College Signal Peak Campus. This advanced manufacturing training center has trained thousands of Lucid employees and will be able to support the future training needs of the existing companies and the new advance manufacturing companies that locate in the community. Drive48 also allows schools to work with Central Arizona College and local high-tech employers, to educate students on the benefits of advanced manufacturing and has led to the creation of more than 10 Career Technology Experience (CTE) programs at local high schools. Investments in infrastructural improvements are a main focus for the city for the next 10 to 20 years, says City Manager Larry Rains. The planning for these efforts started several years ago and has included an expansion in wastewater treatment from 6 to 12 million gallons per day, with planning already underway for an additional $40 million expansion to allow the wastewater treatment facility to process 19 million gallons per day. Transportation corridors for truck traffic are also being improved and long-term water, power and even high-speed Wi-Fi needs will be developed. These improvements and expansions help bolster the City’s position in attracting companies looking to locate in Casa Grande. Continued residential developments will be needed to address the expected population growth. Nearly 20 builders have either indicated interest or have actively begun residential developments in recent years. Single-family permits grew from 2019-2021 and while that demand has slowed since inflation reared its ugly head in 2022, the job growth will continue to drive the need for additional houses, apartments, and condos. In fact, more than 7,000 multi-family residential units are being planned or under construction right now. This is driving additional retail and commercial demand. “We need enough housing to support our rapid job growth,” Rains says. He adds, “we want to make sure we have enough affordable housing” because that is one of the other attractive features of the city. Larger cities in Arizona like Phoenix, Tempe, and Flagstaff have a higher cost of living, which increases Casa Grande’s appeal. Many newer retailers are in the restaurant and hospitality industry. Recent openings in the last few years include Angry Crab, Texas Roadhouse, Asian Bistro, Hideout Steakhouse, and many more. New grocery stores are in the works including an Aldi’s. Iron City Polaris is expanding, and several car washes and coffee shops are among the other retailers to recently call Casa Grande home. New automotive dealerships are also planned to meet the demand of the growing population. The vision of Casa Grande’s downtown district is to be an exciting, visually appealing, easily accessible, safe, and balanced mix of uses that integrates residential, office, retail, entertainment, dining, and