Pinal County’s zoning board this afternoon gave a tyrannosaurus-yes vote to a proposed dinosaur-themed educational park.  

The board unanimously approved a special use permit to construct and operate Sky Village Dino Park exactly 1 mile west of State Route 347 at the southeast corner of State Route 84 and Green Road. The proposed site is a 15-minute drive south of the city limits. 

Project leaders say the dino park will let children experience the Mesozoic Era — the period 252 million to 60 million years ago when nearly every dinosaur imaginable walked the earth. The 10-acre park would house a hefty collection of replica dinosaurs, with the tallest standing roughly 10 feet tall.

The owner wants “to make a realistic but scaled down version of the dinosaurs,” said Greg Davis, president of Gilbert-based Iplan Consulting at today’s board meeting. 

Davis said some of the statues would move with animatronic parts while others would be static. “But the intent is that kids can obviously be excited about it,” he said. 

Also planned is a small tram running along the perimeter of the park and a “dino experience” zone where children can ride small dinosaurs or try their hand at excavating fossils. The park would see the construction of a ticket office, restrooms and a tram station.  

The zoning commissioners, who fielded questions about whether the parking lot could accommodate multiple school buses, seemed keen about the idea of a dino park. 

“Having [a dinosaur] hanging up over the highway, that would be great marketing,” joked Commissioner Robert Klob. 

The county received one letter of opposition to the project. A resident living less than 900 feet southwest of the site wrote he was concerned about a commercial project interrupting the rural lifestyle and dark night skies. 

“I moved out here because we don’t have streetlights, we don’t have business, we have dark skies,” wrote Ryan Byers. “Please let us keep the lifestyle we have chosen to live out here.” 

However, the park seems unlikely to cause light pollution or impact traffic seriously, according to preliminary plans. 

The park would operate from 10 a.m. to dusk, catering mainly to schools and families. The developer estimated the park would see no more than 60 visitors per day. Lighting would be limited to what’s needed for pedestrian safety and site security.  

The next step for the park is for the special use permit to be approved by the Pinal County Board of Supervisors at an upcoming meeting. Construction plans have not been announced.