Cochise County supervisors hear progress report on comprehensive plan update, urge broader outreach

Cochise County planning staff presented a progress update on a proposed revision to the county's comprehensive plan during a Jan. 29 Board of Supervisors work session, outlining public outreach to date and identifying housing, transportation, water resources, renewable energy and economic development as focus areas.

"This is our comprehensive plan," Christine McLaughlin, planning manager with Cochise County Development Services, told the board as she opened the presentation. McLaughlin said the plan will guide county land-use decisions and assist the Planning and Zoning Commission, the Board of Supervisors and the Board of Adjustments in performing their duties.

The comprehensive plan, McLaughlin said, is intended to reflect population and infrastructure needs for up to 10 years from adoption; the county's current plan was adopted in May 2015 and staff is proposing a summer 2025 adoption date for the update. McLaughlin reported outreach metrics including roughly 140 survey responses (later noted at one point as 170), a dedicated project website that has received more than 2,146 visits, nine community meetings, a county-fair booth and targeted social-media and employee outreach.

McLaughlin said survey questions are intended to fill gaps not covered by census or American Community Survey data, for example residents' experiences accessing local roads in different weather conditions, and that respondents provided ZIP codes so staff can map geographic response patterns.

Why it matters: countywide guidance and required reviews

McLaughlin emphasized that the comprehensive plan is a policy document that the county will use to direct land-use…