Pinal Today

Robert Miller, chairman of the Casa Grande Planning and Zoning Commission, said he enjoyed his time in the commission and feels optimistic for the future of the city.

His eight-year-long term ended last week.

"It's a been a lot of fun, because it's the makeup of our community and how we want it to be molded and where we want things to go," Miller said.

He served as chairman of the commission for more than five years, according to Pinal Central. He said the job requires a lot of time and effort.

"A lot of dedication, I think, should go into being on the commission," he said. "You do a lot of studying with regards to the agenda items because you're making decisions that are important, and you really should know what's going on."

Miller contemplated the vast amount of change he saw during his life and career.

"I always joke and reflect with my friends and say, 'We used to ride dirt bikes down Cottonwood,'" he said. "As a kid growing up, that was a dirt road [sic]; now, Cottonwood is in the middle of town."

He said there is still room for the community to improve, despite that growth.

"I think there's definite room for Casa Grande to grow, especially with development done right in and around the right areas and roads," he said. "It has to be proportionally built to be able to flow traffic appropriately."

There has been an increasing number of planning applications, Miller noted. He said more people are becoming involved in planning commission meetings, which could lead to increased interest by the community at large.

"I think the increased interest really started probably closer to when the pandemic hit because the city really pushed to get us on television," he said. "I think that's helped raise a lot of awareness, but I also think it helps when we've got a lot more interesting things to show and talk about in those meetings.

"People are seeing areas that have historically been stagnant, whether they were farm fields or just kind of dirt corners or just vacant areas. We're starting to see those developments happening in those areas, and people want to know more."

Miller said anyone who wishes to attend and/or speak at commission meetings can do so.

"Some of the things that people overlook is that the commission meetings are public hearings, which means any and every citizen has the right to come and speak to that agenda item and give us their input," he said. "If we get an overwhelming amount of input one way or the other, that helps us make our decision. The more people that get involved – or even if it's just through an email or a phone call – staff gives us all those different reports and a breakdown of what the consensus was from the community."

Miller thanked current and former commissioners for their support, Pinal Central reported. He paid tribute to former commissioner Dennis Dugan, who recently died.

"Dennis was a lot of fun," Miller said. "He definitely had a passion for the community. The running joke with us was he was big on traffic and right-hand lanes."

Miller thanked other commissioners, as well.

"I also had tremendous help from Mike Henderson, who was the first chairman when I came on," he said. "He gave me a lot of information on how to run a meeting and helped me later on when I stepped into the role as chairman. Mikel McBride was great and in my opinion, paid me one of the greatest compliments when he and I were both nominated to be the chair and he basically said, 'I'm going to withdraw my name and just let it stay.'"

Miller also gave credit to newer members of the commission.

"Brett Benedict has returned after he took a little over a year off," he said. "It's also great to see the new members getting involved, and I think they're going to do a great job. It's important that they do because it's our community; it's not the planning and zoning community. It's not the city staff community; it's our community."

Miller said he will appreciate a chance to relax.

"I've got a lot going on with my family life and it'll be a welcome break," he said. "Again, it's been a lot of fun serving on the commission, and I wish it all the best for the future."