We know many of you have questions about the progress of the art sculptures. Your Board and dedicated volunteers have been working hard to bring our community its first permanent art installation. While the project has encountered some roadblocks, we want to assure you that we have not given up. In fact, the team is more committed than ever to seeing this through.

The goal of this project has always been to honor the rich ranching history of our area. With RailX Ranch still operating as a working cattle ranch just across the road, we felt it was important to commemorate the heritage of the land that is now Eagle Crest Ranch. Beyond preserving history, we also believe a well-placed, high-quality sculpture will enhance our community’s identity and positively impact property values by creating a distinctive sense of place that residents and prospective buyers can easily recognize.

Your Board is actively working with Pinal County to move the project forward. For transparency, here is where we currently stand: the County is currently treating the commemorative art sculptures as signage. We respectfully disagree with this classification. Our position is that these sculptures should not be considered “signs” under Pinal County Zoning Ordinance §2.145.020, as they are artistic works commemorating Arizona ranching history and do not identify, direct attention to, or advertise any product, place, activity, person, institution, or business. Even if viewed as signs, we believe they qualify as exempt under §2.145.040 (items D and F) for commemorative purposes. The sculptures also fully comply with CR-3 zoning accessory use standards, height, and setback requirements.

A volunteer has done extensive research on our behalf, including emailing Pinal County Planning & Zoning and receiving confirmation that no specific codes exist for art sculptures or statues. We have thoroughly reviewed the Pinal County Development Services Code, provided a PE-stamped letter from our Civil Engineer showing the sculptures will have negligible impact (0.06% and 0.1%) on the retention/detention basins, submitted multiple artistic renditions for county input, and complied in good faith with the initial Stop Work Order.

As of today, the project remains under review. According to county guidelines, Pinal County has until May 13th to respond to our submission. We will continue to keep the community informed of any updates.

Thank you for your patience and understanding. We truly believe these sculptures will bring positive recognition to Eagle Crest Ranch and will one day stand tall as a proud welcome to both residents and visitors in our wonderful community.