Pima County adopts Pima Prosper 2025 comprehensive plan after months of revisions; 4-1 vote

The Pima County Board of Supervisors approved an updated countywide land-use plan, known as Pima Prosper 2025, after a public hearing and staff presentation on Oct. 14. The board voted 4-1 to adopt the plan, with Supervisor Christie the lone dissent.

Staff and outside consultants described the update as a consolidation and modernization of the county’s previous 2015 plan and said it adds policies to address housing supply and affordability, water resources, transportation and energy. Planning staff and the university-affiliated Drachman Institute led work on background studies and met with county departments, municipalities, tribal nations and neighborhood groups over the last two years.

The plan includes a revised Conservation Land System policy that the Planning & Zoning Commission recommended be amended to target a 70% on‑site mitigation goal (CLS policy 3a1a). Staff also proposed minor edits to two “special area” policies — Tucson Mountains and Catalina Foothills Estates — after consultation with local neighborhood associations.

At the hearing, three stakeholder groups — the Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection, the Southern Arizona Home Builders Association and the Tucson Mountains Association — described negotiated language and said they supported the final text. Speakers at the public hearing emphasized the plan’s treatment of open‑space mitigation, middle‑housing options and links to the county’s Prosperity Initiative.

Board members praised staff outreach and the plan’s attempt to balance conservation goals with a stated need for new housing. Chair Rex Scott and Supervisors Jennifer Allen, Andres Cano and Chris Connell voted to adopt the plan; Supervisor Christie voted no. The board’s approval satisfied the state‑law process and opens an implementation phase during which departments will coordinate codes and funding to carry out the plan’s policies.

Staff said the plan will guide county decisions for the next 10 years and that implementation work — including zoning actions, development standards, housing initiatives and water-use strategies — will follow and be reported to the board.

Ending: The board asked staff to return with implementation steps and tracking metrics; staff already has scheduled outreach and technical work tied to housing and infrastructure that will be brought to supervisors in the coming months.