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Development Services outlines comprehensive plan update; supervisors push for June work session on growth and infrastructure
Summary
Staff previewed draft elements of the Cochise County comprehensive plan—including land use, water, energy, transportation and open space—and supervisors emphasized economic development priorities (industrial hubs, airport and border port connections) and asked for more public outreach and a June work session.
Christine McLaughlin, Development Services staff, presented an overview of the draft comprehensive plan and described the document’s required elements: an introduction and demographic profile, land‑use and growth maps, circulation (transportation) maps, water resources inventory, energy considerations, open‑space inventories and implementation topics.
McLaughlin highlighted demographics in the draft, noting Cochise County’s relatively older population and a Latino population above the state average. She said the land‑use section maps proposed land uses and lists density, lot size and allowable zoning; the circulation section identifies interstate, arterial and county roads as well as rail and airport facilities; and the water section inventories physical water availability and projected demand, noting much water authority rests with the Arizona Department of Water Resources.
The presentation also addressed energy: staff noted the county is served by multiple electric utilities and that the county has significant solar generation capacity in parts of northern Cochise County. Supervisors raised local concerns about large solar and wind facilities; one supervisor noted bird and visual impacts as recurring public concerns.
Board members framed the comprehensive plan as central to the county’s economic strategy. Supervisors discussed focusing industrial and commercial zoning where transportation and utility infrastructure intersect—examples cited included areas near I‑10, the Bisbee‑Douglas International Airport (BDI) and rail spurs. Supervisors emphasized Douglas’s port and potential rail connections as important long‑term opportunities that could shift truck and rail traffic and broaden the county’s tax base.
Supervisors said growth and economic development are priorities because the county’s population is aging and state shared revenues are tied to population. The Board asked staff to intensify community outreach and data collection—McLaughlin said staff aims to collect a larger number of public survey responses and other input—and to schedule a focused work session in June to review recommendations and draft policy actions.
No formal action was taken at the work session; staff said they would continue to develop the draft comprehensive plan, expand public outreach, and return with materials for further work sessions and public hearings as required by state law before any plan adoption.
