The Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community has begun outreach to inform the Community about efforts to explore opportunities for growth, revenue and sustainability around the southwestern edge of the Community.

These efforts are related to land use on and around the 250-acre Salt River Materials Group (SRMG) Dobson site, located on Dobson Road, south of McKellips Road, between Longmore Road and 92nd Street.

SRMG is an enterprise of the SRPMIC that supplies high-quality sand and rock products such as cements, fly ash, aggregates and natural gypsum products to customers throughout Arizona and the Southwest.

When it became clear in 2019 that resources were nearing depletion at the Dobson site, an opportunity opened for the site to be evaluated for future land use. The new SRMG site will be located along Arizona State Route 87, or North Beeline Highway, in the Community.

SRPMIC government departments and enterprises are actively evaluating future plans for the vacated site, exploring potential new uses that align with the Community’s strategic goals, according to a video from the Community.

“The Salt River Indian Community remains steadfast in its commitment to sustainability, self-governance and creating new revenue sources to support future generations,” the SRPMIC said in a statement.

“The SRMG Dobson Road redevelopment symbolizes a bold step forward, blending innovative strategies with Community values to shape a vibrant and sustainable future for all.”

The SRPMIC Gaming Enterprise is participating in the land evaluation process as they explore the potential of building a new Casino Arizona which would replace the current property to the north. Casino Arizona is now 26 years old, and the gaming floor is at full capacity after undergoing numerous renovations.

The Community’s 2021 renegotiation of its gaming compact with the state of Arizona made possible new opportunities for gaming expansion.

Back in 2019, the Community hosted outreach meetings to gather input on potential development along the McKellips Road corridor. Sixty-seven percent of attendees supported development in the area.

In addition to future gaming and commercial development at the site, a potential Dobson Road bridge is in the preliminary engineering phase. Next would be the design phase, which has not started yet. The bridge would connect over the Salt River from developments on Dobson to the Loop 202 interchange.

“This is something we have been looking at for a few years,” said Public Works Roads Section Manager Jennifer Jack.

Proposition 400, a half-cent sales tax in Maricopa County, was approved by voters in 2004 and expires in 2025. Voters last November passed Proposition 479, a continuation of the half-cent sales tax. The Dobson Road bridge is on the list to receive funding.

Traffic patterns have been modeled at the intersection of Dobson and McKellips to ease and prevent outside traffic from moving deeper into residential areas in the Community.

Now, the Community will focus on a request for proposal (RFP) to be sent out to developers, which will outline objectives, scope, requirements and evaluation criteria, allowing the Community to assess realistic proposals and determine the highest and best use for the tribal land.