A control tower is coming to Pinal County Airpark within the next seven years after the Federal Aviation Administration determined one is warranted at the growing facility.

The airport, originally constructed in 1942 as the Marana Army Airfield to train pilots for World War II, was purchased by Pinal County a few years later and continues to be managed by the county. The non-towered, uncontrolled airspace has seen significant growth in recent years.

"The workforce is growing, the economic engine size is increasing, the number of operations that we have each year is increasing so everything's kind of growing," Airport Manager James Petty said.

The FAA recently completed a benefit-cost analysis, and in April, a control tower was found to be warranted at the facility. This gives the county

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