After two years of discussions and evaluation at the staff level, the Coconino County Board of Supervisors recently gave the go-ahead to rezone property to accommodate a plan for “The Outlook at Glittering Mountain.”
This ambitious development, presented by Navajo Nation Shopping Centers Inc., is a 70-acre mixed-use project that includes an entertainment pavilion, restaurants, stores, hotels and housing just west of Twin Arrows Casino. The homes and retail space are intended to serve the casino employees while also drawing additional tourists, interstate travelers and local residents to the area with the multi-phase project. It is the largest project attempted by the developer, and for the county, this is an opportunity to expand our tax base and provide additional jobs to our residents.
Due to the plan’s complex nature and large scale, many months have been spent working with the applicant and its representatives to address a long list of elements that are important to the county, such as the details of traffic impacts, a cultural resources inventory, issues related to providing water and wastewater services from trust land to “fee simple” land, and the procurement of public safety services such as fire protection and police services.
The project will also fully utilize renewable energy sources and sustainable building practices – from compact development and reclaimed water for irrigation, to other water conservation practices such as low-flow fixtures. To protect wildlife in Padre Canyon and minimize runoff and potential pollutants to the canyon, the Board of Supervisors also called for a 150 foot buffer between the development and the edge of the canyon.
Navajo Nation Shopping Centers, Inc. and county staff discussed assurances to address these concerns and, in a mutually beneficial decision, focused their energy on drafting and refining a development agreement. While development agreements are commonly used among local municipalities throughout Arizona, this will be the first development agreement as provided for in Arizona Revised Statues, that the County has utilized.
Why use such a development agreement at this time? The agreement complements and aligns with the county’s local zoning regulations, but also allows the developer to secure financing more easily than through typical conditions of the rezone, which are included in the development agreement. It also creates assurances that the project will be phased and constructed properly and appropriately through the use of Neighborhood Development Master Plans, which are required at each phase of the agreement.
We look forward to watching the project as it unfolds at each stage, enhancing the I-40 corridor as it grows. FBN
By Cynthia Seelhammer