Yavapai supervisors approve narrower private road pavement for Springfield at Granite Mountain after heated public comment

The Yavapai County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 on Feb. 5 to approve a waiver of county road-design standards that reduces planned private road pavement in the 223-acre Springfield at Granite Mountain Phase 1 subdivision from 30 feet to 24 feet, while requiring 4-foot compacted aggregate shoulders on each side and a minimum 26-foot clear width at locations with fire hydrants.

The vote followed a multi-hour staff presentation and extensive public comment from neighbors, developers and fire officials. The waiver applies to privately owned and maintained roads within Phase 1, which contains 69 single-family lots under the approved Planned Area Development (PAD) zoning. Planning Manager Matt Blake told the board the waiver would not change the recorded plat itself but would allow reduced pavement width on construction plans; Public Works provided recommended conditions that the developer must meet.

Why it matters: Supervisors and speakers framed the issue as a mix of technical fire‑safety requirements and neighborhood concerns about future connectivity and construction impacts. Supporters said the narrower pavement plus 4-foot aggregate shoulders improves pedestrian safety and preserves the development’s low‑impact design; opponents said repeated waivers and early construction practices had undermined trust and raised long‑term liability and emergency‑access concerns.

What staff and fire officials said: Blake said the PAD approval (rezoned in Feb. 2020) allows the subdivision and that waivers are discretionary. The Central Arizona Fire and Medical Authority (CAFMA) reviewed the request and noted that the proposed roads meet relevant International Fire Code access dimensions if specific hydrant‑adjacent segments keep a 26‑foot clear roadway. Public Works provided a letter recommending approval subject to conditions; Joe Hewitt (Public Works Director of Operations Management) was available to answer technical questions during the hearing.

Developer’s plan and commitments: Jeff Davis, managing partner for Stringfield Development Company, told the board the project will dedicate a trail easement to the City of Prescott parks department and build a community trailhead with parking and restrooms. He said shoulders will be built to support heavy vehicles (developer’s geotechnical letter states compacted aggregate shoulders are engineered to bear equivalent loads) and that hydrants and site water systems are in place. He also said a Knox box is installed on a nearby fire gate and that construction water is being managed on‑site.

Public testimony and board concerns: Neighbors and local residents voiced two recurring concerns: (1) that prior approvals and on‑site behavior by subcontractors had created distrust, and (2) that narrower private roads could allow future development through adjoining neighborhoods. Supervisor Kukneil (District 4), whose district includes the project, detailed multiple resident complaints about construction access, early morning truck traffic and use of a gated fire/access road; he said he would support the waiver for Phase 1 but warned future phases would face stricter scrutiny. Several Phase 1 lot owners and others told the board they signed notarized consents approving the waiver.

Conditions and safeguards: The board approved the revised final plat for Phase 1 together with these primary conditions (as recommended by staff): approval of the waiver to reduce pavement width from 30 feet to 24 feet; maintain a minimum 26‑foot unobstructed width where fire hydrants are present; construct a 4‑foot wide compacted aggregate shoulder on each side of all roadways (shoulder compaction to a minimum of 95% of maximum density per MAG specification 301‑3); and additional conditions vetted by Public Works and CAFMA.

The vote and next steps: The motion to approve the Phase 1 revised final plat with the waiver passed 4‑1 (Vice Chair Compton voted no). Supervisors directed staff and the developer to continue community coordination; Supervisor Kukneil said he expects tighter review for later phases. Because the roads are private and will be maintained by the HOA/developer, the county will not assume maintenance responsibility under the approved design. The approved conditions become part of the county’s record for the subdivision and apply to construction plan approvals.

Background details: The PAD rezoning approved in 2020 allowed development of approximately 340 lots for the overall project; Phase 1 contains 69 lots on roughly 223 acres and provides about 81 acres of open space. The waiver process required signatures from property owners within Phase 1; staff said the applicant submitted notarized consent agreements from the Phase 1 owners.