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Resident proposes Community Land Cooperative zoning tool to Navajo County supervisors
Summary
A resident asked the board to consider a Community Land Cooperative ordinance that, he said, would let off-grid residents privately fund and maintain internal infrastructure and could generate an estimated $275,000 per year in property tax revenue without adding county-maintained roads or utilities.
During call to the public, Jesse Fisher of Riverbed Ranch addressed the board and requested that county planning staff and supervisors consider a Community Land Cooperative zoning ordinance his nonprofit provided to county staff for review.
Fisher described the model as one in which members privately fund and sustain on-site infrastructure (private water, power, wastewater systems and internal roads) so the county would not be asked to extend utilities or maintain internal roads. "This ordinance would allow our nonprofit and others to privately fund and maintain infrastructure that in a traditional community often becomes a county responsibility," Fisher said.
He said the nonprofit'backed model requires members to use on-site stormwater catchment and other measures to keep runoff on-site and avoid impacts to county roads or downstream properties. Fisher said the model also fosters "a culture of mutual support and accountability" among residents and that his group's Utah example attracted "proactive, law abiding, self reliant families." He estimated the model could eventually generate up to $275,000 per year in new property tax revenue for Navajo County while limiting long-term infrastructure obligations for the county.
The board did not take action on the proposal during the meeting. Fisher requested an opportunity for a longer presentation in the future to share details from the Utah project and examples of implementation.
Fisher identified himself in the meeting as a Riverbed Ranch resident and introduced a teammate, Philip Gleason. The speaker asked the board not to call him and concluded after a brief wrap-up when the timekeeper ended the 3-minute public-comment allotment.
