Greater Yuma economic development group outlines opportunity-zone push, data-center interest and border mega-site

Greg Lavonne, chief executive officer of the Greater Yuma Economic Development Corporation, told the San Luis City Council on Feb. 20 that the regional economic development agency is expanding marketing, site promotion and grant work to attract employers and infrastructure funding to Yuma County, including San Luis.

Lavonne said GYEDC is preparing site nominations for the federal Opportunity Zones program, with submissions to the governor due in May, and described efforts to identify city-owned or city-supported parcels that the council might designate for inclusion. He said the agency is also tracking retail and commercial leads and sharing warm contacts with city staff to support business recruitment.

The presentation emphasized several priorities: workforce development and site selection services, new marketing campaigns to recruit professionals for area employers, and promotion of a so-called Von Verde mega-site — more than 500 acres of shovel-ready industrial land near the port of entry. Lavonne said the organization has used Economic Development Administration grant support in the past to fund infrastructure projects, citing a prior EDA award used to extend water and sewer lines to the Piana Building (noted in his presentation as a $1,000,000 project).

Lavonne raised data centers and proposed natural-gas pipeline projects as potential transformational investments for the region. He named Grupo Clisa as one firm that has publicly proposed a pipeline route through Yuma County into Mexico and said GYEDC is monitoring developers’ proposals so the city can evaluate possible local benefits such as access to power for industry. He characterized the agency as "agnostic" about specific developers but said it will press for terms that deliver local jobs and fiscal benefit.

Council members asked how the regional rebranding and lead-tracking work would operate; Lavonne described a mix of targeted ad buys, national publications and outbound outreach, plus website analytics used to identify organizations that have viewed available city sites. He said GYEDC shares leads with local staff and partners to help convert interest into active recruitment efforts.

The council did not take a formal vote on the presentation. Lavonne concluded by inviting further council input on priority sites and offering follow-up coordination with city staff on opportunity-zone nominations and marketing materials.

Next steps: GYEDC said it would work with city staff to identify candidate sites for the opportunity-zone nomination and continue outreach to potential investors and developers.