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February 7, 2023
To: Paola Jaramillo
Maricopa County Planning and Development
301 W. Jefferson St., #170
Phoenix, AZ 85003
From: Patrick & Jean Good
PO Box 325
52010 W. Pete Rd.
Aguila AZ 85320
Case Number Z2022171 Gambler’s Row Equine Facility and RV Park
Being a property owner of APN 506-06-127 in very close proximity to the proposed Gambler’s
Row Gambler’s Row Equine Facility and RV Park. I have multiple concerns as to its effects on
us and the whole of Aguila.
1) Water pressure: There are existing issues with the water pressure. Aguila Water Services
are having trouble keeping up with demand now. The proposed addition of 4” pipe on
Pete Road and the addition of a storage tank and pressure pump that will be feeding
Gambler’s Row (Narrative Report for Ben Jordan Acres Revised Jan. 23, 2023 sec. 14.1
& 14.2) will decrease the water pressure feeding this tank & pump, and more so when an
event is underway.
2) Fire Department: Being a small community Aguila has a volunteer fire dept. Though they
are fully trained they don’t have the equipment or the experience in handling a large fire
which would be possible at the Gambler’s Row facility.
3) Traffic: Traffic on Eagle Eye rd. leading up to and following an event will be very heavy.
For those of us that Eagle Eye rd. is our only egress to do our daily travels it will be a
nightmare getting onto Eagle Eye road. The hay & cattle trucks are proposed to enter the
facility at 519th Ave. off Pete road. Pete road is an unmaintained dirt road If they do pave
this road who will be maintaining it?
4) Noise: From the meeting Feb. 2 at the Aguila Fire Dept. we were informed that when the
events are finished for the day is when they will stop. If the event runs late into the night,
the Arena’s PA and rigs leaving the event will be creating an excessive amount of noise
with no regard to the homes where people are attempting to sleep to get their rest for the
next day’s work. Requiring a minimal starting and maximum ending time would help
5) Light: The light generated by the project by not only the arenas but the RV park will
pollute the night skies and be a constant irritation to those that have southern facing
homes. Arena lights pointing away from town and directed downward. Possibly lower
intensity lights in RV and parking areas may help some.
6) Drainage: The proposed reservoirs for containing the runoff and rain will change the
natural flow of water. During Monsoon season the water is intense in its flow, the
reservoirs can be overflowed and the water will take its own path downhill. In turn it can
over power culverts placed on Pete rd. causing damage to existing property and making
Pete rd. unpassable to Eagle Eye rd.
7) Livestock: There will be a large amount of cattle being penned up for days, and horses
either staying at the facility or being transported in for the event. Even with the proposed
cleanup won’t be able to completely get rid of the obnoxious odor and runoff into the
reservoirs during heavy rain.
8) Pollution: The arenas, the commercial establishments, the RV park & the temporary
parking areas will generate trash that is proposed to be picked up by local trash service.
The trash that is left behind from people not disposing trash in the proper containers will
flow or blow into Aguila.
9) Dust: With the arenas, interior roads and parking areas not being paved there will be an
increase in dust that will affect the surrounding homes.
10) Air traffic: There are (2) airparks with runways in close proximity. One of which is in
direct line of flight from the south (Sampley’s airport). This is a concern, the planes
arriving and departing from this runway can be flying low to the ground and in case of an
emergency have to divert course to avoid Gambler’s Row.
The proposed Gambler’s Row site is not a good place to be built. It will have a negative impact
on the entire Aguila community. Had it been cited for an area East or West of Aguila where the
open fields of the local farms were located the impact on property and residents would be much
smaller.
Sincerely,
Patrick & Jean Good
________________________
_________________________
PO Box 325
52010 W. Pete rd.
Aguila AZ 85320
H:928-685-4047
C:623-695-8577
peegood55@yahoo.com
parcel # 506-06-127
To: Maricopa County Planning and Development / Board of Supervisors
RE: Protest of Proposed Project – Case Number Z2022171
Gambler’s Row Equine Facility and RV Park
As a property owner less than 1/2 mile from the above proposed project, I strongly oppose this project.
This facility will generate noxious odors, a huge number of flies, dust, noise day and night, significant traffic
problems, contaminated drainage, huge demands on an already taxed water system, and light pollution (our
subdivisions are "dark sky" communities - with the Milky Way visible every night),
The narrative report for Ben Jordan Acres made NO mention of the almost 100 homes within a mile of this
project. In addition, there are TWO well established FAA Approved Airport Runways within one mile of the
project.
There are hundreds of thousands of acres along Highway 60 between Wickenburg and Wenden that are far
more suitable for this type of development, and would have little to no impact on established residential areas.
We are quite certain that none of the County Supervisors would want this facility in their back-yard.
Thank you in advance for your consideration in this matter. We are extremely hopeful that this project will
NOT be approved.
Jeremiah F. Daly ____________________________________________
Property Owner (as listed on property deed)
Assessor’s Property Tax Parcel Number: 506-06-074G
Property Address: 51347 W. William Road, Aguila AZ 85320
Mailing Address: PO Box 428, Aguila AZ 85320
1
Paola Jaramillo Quintero (PND)
From:
George Bartley <gobart007@hotmail.com>
Sent:
Monday, September 25, 2023 9:06 PM
To:
Paola Jaramillo Quintero (PND)
Subject:
case # Z2022171 Special use permit for Gambler's Row Equestrian Event Facility
Follow Up Flag:
Follow up
Flag Status:
Flagged
We are opposed to this proposed development for many reasons.
The proposed project area is a very rural, low density, and non commercial. The intrusion of such a high
impact operation would be devastating to the current and past life styles for which the area has been famous.
It has drawn residents from all over our country. It would destroy everything which caused it to be a magnet
for those wishing a quiet and peaceful home. The primitive and historic back country would be inundated by
many more vehicles, people and horses than it has ever known to the detriment of local flora and fauna.
The sheer size and density of the operation would insure noise, dust, and light pollution uncommon to this
area not just during daylight hours but long into and throughout the night. The impact, in just a few short
years, would be far greater than has been seen in well over a hundred! Imagine how such a sudden event
could undue even the best planned community never mind such a rural place as this.
The odors from such a concentration of activity would also accompany damage to the fragile aquifer from
animal waste. It would be like putting a " feed lot " into the midst of a residential area like Sun City West!
There would be unimaginable harm not only to local wells but would also place a great strain on the local
operating water company in Aguila which supplies the majority of my neighbors needs. Along with this
concern is the obvious increase in our water rates as the small, local water company must build out
infrastructure to service this project as has been proposed.
The traffic generated by so much additional use would be unmanageable without extensive road build out and
traffic control not only on Eagle Eye Road but on U.S. 60 as well. The access into and out of Aguila would be a
nightmare. Add in the heavy truck traffic and increasing use of U.S. 60 as an I-10 alternate as well as heavy
truck use of Eagle Eye Rd. as a shortcut to I-10, the result would be incredibly dangerous to all!
You must also factor in that this development is literally next to and below the low flight paths of two FAA
approved airfields. Placing so many livestock and people within yards of aircraft could be a danger to those on
the ground as well as being a hindrance to safe aircraft operations.
We also believe that our property values will be adversely effected with literally no foreseeable benefit other
than for the developer. The entire scenario offers little benefit for the Aguila community.
We're confident that after a careful review, Maricopa County will agree that this entire project fails it's citizens
in every significant way.
Sincerely,
George J. and Maureen Bartley
51211 W. William Rd. PO BOX 528
480-209-2324
APN # 506-06-071H
Gamblers ROW 11.2.23 Planning Commission
The Gambler project is complex only because it wants this location. If
accepted, this project will be for here today, next week, next month, and many
years. We better get this right.
If the project is approved, the folks at Gambler will have years of regular horse
and cow activities and ongoing contests with large crowds. If you live nearby,
like it or not, common sense says these events will be all-day noise makers.
The folks at Eagle Roost and Sampley airports have enjoyed 50 years of
planning and maintaining property used for airports and flying activities. The
Aguila area has its brand as airport property, highly regulated by the FAA. The
Gambler project will test Aguila's serenity with seven days a week sounds
caused by visitor traffic, trucks coming and going delivering feed and materials
for 700 horses and cows, the 400 horses, the 300 cows, along with human
activity of 300 staff entering and departing the site, just by the gross amount of
movement and noise to perform those activities will be huge. Add that to the
1800 scheduled monthly activities; common sense says it may become a
marathon of severe noise and nuisance. That is not a neighborhood house
permit. It is a factory of noise and smell that will never be tamed regardless of
the project promises; it will not be a place to sit on the back porch and enjoy
Aguila; it will no longer be a comfortable retirement location.
A project that size will require loudspeakers making announcements such as
schedules, contestant information, posting-winning contestants, and other
loudspeaker duties. An example of how sound travels in the Aguila area can be
three-quarters of a mile off of Eagle Eye Road, hear trucks and other traffic
without effort.
Why are airports designed to be far from public activity? Why are airplane
runways lined up with the natural wind directions? Both answers are for the
safety of the pilot and the public. Do airplanes always take off when they are
supposed to or land when they are supposed to? They do not -- there is the risk
at any airport, including Samply and Eagles Roost. Airport usage is designed
and approved by the FAA because of whys and wherefores. Sampley
and Eagle Roost have established the area for airport use.
2
Today, we have a project requesting to be located directly in that path of
takeoffs and landings and within a distance where the airplane is the most
vulnerable.—safety just went out the window with this project for that pilot.
Sampley Airport has had airplanes not continue to fly after taking off the
ground. Eagles Roost has had airplanes not continue to fly after making
takeoff. When that happens, they end up in the fields straight ahead - as they
should. These are not pilot errors because we are discussing airplanes that will
or will not perform.
Now, we have a project applying for a huge business --- right where those
airplanes came to rest in the desert after a failed takeoff. That project leaves
no protection for the pilots when engines quit. This project is in the middle of
the airplane departure and landing path.
Airplanes and animals do not fit well in the same space. Three days ago, I
called a gentleman with 35 years of crop dusting in Casa Grande to learn what
cows and horses do with airplanes flying over. He remarked how cows tend to
get agitated and run in different directions. However, horses become much
more erratic or excited and start running in any direction at a fast pace,
running through fences or whatever is in their way. He commented that low-
flying aircraft with certain types of propellers over horses is a danger to the
horse. If the project is accepted, it is reasonable to think that as new and
different horses are used at that property, it may cause some horses to become
irritated or not perform or panic; that said, airplanes may be called upon to
change their environment, not to impede the project's environment. That
would be a costly mistake for all involved.
Horses and cows need hay, grains, and water to survive. According to Horse-
manure-facts, a 1000 lb horse produces 35 to 50 lbs daily. A cow weighing
1000 lbs will produce 82 lbs daily. That being the case, 400 horses will produce
3,600 tons of manure per year or 360 loads in 10-ton trucks; cows will produce
4,428 tons per year or 443 loads in 10-ton trucks. Where does this manure get
dumped if these numbers are close to correct? Is it sprayed prior to
dumping? How do residents of Aguila deal with the leftover flies?
3
Furthermore, I repeat- It will be a complete game changer for Aguila -- 7 days
a week, maintaining 300 cows and 400 horses will change the entire Aguila
province - day and night. On the other hand - the two airports will be occupied
with the cow and horse manure smell, excess urine smell, and dust in every
house in the Sampley and Eagle Roost Airport, and when the winds are right
into Aguila, That odor is 24 hours a day, and there is no rest from the revolting
smell, it is nonstop and will join you in your house for dinner EVERY NIGHT.
We owe that to our Aguila southerly winds. Which is directly aligned with
the south located Gambler project,
I served on a County airport commission in California, and meetings had
positive and negative projects. As a Commissioner, I was concerned about our
duties and how we vote – maybe affecting businesses by losing their projects.
The massive open territory in Arizona represents a perfect built-in safety by
not having to link an active residential airport to a giant horse farm.
This project carries serious faults even if it gets concessions or amendments
from the planning commission – it must start a new life far away from small
towns and neighborhoods because the stench of manure and urine odors will be
severely noxious and overwhelming. If you need a test on feedlot smells –
drive down Highway 5 near Bakersfield, California – you can the stench 5
miles before arriving. Wait until you sit down to eat your evening meal or go to
bed, and try to sleep at Aguila. The 300 workers will be in the presence of all
horse and cow manure odor during their work periods. At least they get a break
to go home and spend 16 hours in clean air before returning and living in eight
hours of manure smells. Aguila neighbors will not get a break.
I may not have my numbers exact today, and I may have doubled up on some
of the information because I think it is essential, but I am close enough to ask -
why create a Hatfield and McCoy scenario? That is not a good plan. Gambler is
bulldozing its way into the retirement town of Aguila. Gambler is more
prominent than the sum of Aguila, and it is a rude expectation of the Gambler
project and the planning commission to expect or force Aguila to tolerate a
noisy, smelly animal factory at Aguila's demise. Many projects have been set
aside and not approved by planning commissions. This project deserves to be
moved to a more tolerant area.