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County economic developer briefs Taylor council on brownfield aid, Zenni Homes and solar project
Summary
Chris Pasters of Navajo County/Real AZ told the council about a coal-community diversification effort that brought about $18 million in project funding last year, free brownfield environmental assessments available to landowners for two years, and local projects including Zenni Homes at the old paper mill (about 450 jobs) and a solar plant breaking ground in Joe City.
Chris Pasters, who works with Navajo County and serves as executive director of Real AZ, told the Taylor Town Council on March 6 that the county and its municipal partners are pursuing coal-community diversification and other projects to replace jobs and tax revenue from plant closures.
Pasters said participating communities brought in roughly $18 million in project funding over the last year (a figure he said excludes broadband projects). He described a new county-funded program that offers environmental assessments for brownfield property at no cost to landowners for the next two years; Pasters said the assessments are intended to help property owners redevelop sites but are not enforceable instruments.
He highlighted several local and regional projects: Zenni Homes plans to build small homes at the former paper mill site and, according to Pasters, expects to need about 450 employees; a solar plant groundbreaking is scheduled in Joe City and was described as already hiring; other local developments cited included timber operations and motorsports/leasing activity in Holbrook intended to draw visitors and support local spending.
Pasters closed by inviting local stakeholders to ongoing meetings of the county economic group (Real AZ) and noting an upcoming members-only meeting on March 13 in Snowflake. No council action was recorded on this presentation.
