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Prescott committee pushes to strengthen open-space policy, cites Proposition 484 and pronghorn protections
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Summary
Members recommended updating the open-space element to list recent acquisitions, enforce a 25% open-space policy, consider codifying protections (charter or ordinance), and pursue wildlife corridor strategies and an open-space advisory commission.
The City of Prescott General Plan Review Subcommittee on March 11 pressed staff to strengthen the general plan’s open-space language, cite recent acquisitions and consider codifying protections including Proposition 484 language into plan text.
The mayor urged adding recent open-space items such as the Watson Woods Conservation Easement and Glassford Dells Regional Park to the plan’s inventory and asked the consultant to reflect completed and pending projects. “It was our past sales tax that was passed by the voters that allowed for direct purchase,” the mayor said, arguing the plan should note voter-approved funding and Proposition 484 protections that prevent selling or leasing city-held open space without a public vote.
Committee members proposed stronger enforcement of the city’s 25% public open-space requirement, reconsideration of private open space counting toward that threshold and use of development agreements to require private maintenance if private open space is allowed. One member suggested creating an open-space advisory commission to increase citizen engagement and help steward acquisitions and grant applications.
Wildlife protections were also central: members asked to reinstate or strengthen wildlife corridor strategies from earlier plan versions and specifically noted pronghorn habitat as a priority. The committee recommended negotiating combined open-space and wildlife corridor protections as part of annexation and development agreements while reminding staff that negotiation leverage is highest at annexation.
Next steps: staff will gather the city’s open-space policy documents, update the plan text to list accomplished and pending projects, and confer with the consultant about codifying policy options (ordinance, land-development-code change or charter amendment) and the potential structure of an advisory commission.
