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Engineering update flags unregulated subdivisions, potential maintenance reductions and long-term development pressure
Summary
County staff described areas developed by records of survey—so-called unregulated subdivisions—where age and parcel sizes have left roads unimproved; staff outlined maintenance burdens, the possibility of removing lightly used roads from the maintenance list and the development history that created many small parcels.
Cochise County engineering staff used part of the Feb. 20 update to explain the county’s inventory of unregulated subdivisions—areas created by records of survey where lots were split before modern platting rules—and the maintenance challenges those areas present.
Staff said one example, described in the presentation as the “Ronald Reagan” area, covers roughly 6,000 acres originally split into large parcels and later redivided into smaller 40‑acre records of survey and, in some cases, still-smaller lots. The presentation showed assessor maps and suggested that, depending on zoning (presented as RU-4 in the slide), some 40‑acre parcels could allow up to 10 homes; staff cautioned these are theoretical maximums tied to zoning and did not announce any approvals.
Staff described a maintenance burden where county roads serve only a handful of homes—one example noted approximately two miles of county‑maintained road serving four houses—and said the county keeps a list of candidate roads that could be removed from the maintenance list if conditions warrant.
Why it matters: the county said these unregulated subdivisions can create long-term infrastructure obligations—roads, drainage, and sidewalks—without a clear revenue or maintenance mechanism in place. Staff said historic development practices changed over time and that some subdivisions were created before modern planning and zoning requirements.
Ending: staff said they track these areas and maintain a list of roads that might be considered for removal from county maintenance; supervisors did not take formal action during the work session.
