Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Subdivision topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commission tables High Pines Estates tentative plat amid access, wildlife and documentation concerns
Summary
The Planning and Zoning Commission tabled the High Pines Estates tentative plat to Sept. 19 after commissioners pressed the applicant for written documentation from the U.S. Forest Service and Arizona Game and Fish on proposed improvements to Forest Service Road 332, wildlife mitigation, septic/nitrogen management and fire access; the applicant said it could provide the documents within one to two months.
The Navajo County Planning and Zoning Commission on July 18 tabled the High Pines Estates tentative plat (TP 24001) to a specific date of Sept. 19 so the applicant can provide documentation about Forest Service Road 332 access, a letter from Arizona Game and Fish and other materials the commission requested.
Cody Cooper, county staff, presented the tentative plat for High Pines Estates: two parcels totaling about 93.6 acres with a proposed 100-lot single-family subdivision; the applicant proposed a new water system (well, booster pump and storage tanks), paved roads to county standard, and individual septic systems. Staff noted the application was submitted before a recent rule change requiring sewer for lots under one acre, and recommended approval subject to 24 conditions. Cooper said preliminary perk tests were provided and that staff would require nitrogen-management systems for the second phase of lots where higher density applies.
Applicants and project engineers described project accomplishments they said had been completed: an ADOT-approved turn lane and encroachment permit, ADEQ authorization to construct the water system, and geotechnical testing and biological surveys of Forest Service Road 332 intended to demonstrate what improvements would be required to support heavy vehicle use. The applicant said they plan to form a High Pines Estates Water Improvement District to maintain the water and fire-protection infrastructure and that the subdivision would include a roughly 200,000-gallon water tank and booster system to support hydrants for fire protection.
Several commissioners and public commenters pushed back, saying the record lacked written evidence from Arizona Game and Fish and the U.S. Forest Service showing the agencies had accepted the proposed road improvements or mitigation measures. Commissioners also raised concerns about increased density relative to surrounding parcels, evacuation routes and emergency access, potential impacts on wildlife corridors, enforcement of a one-foot non-access easement (noting recreation and off-road use on adjacent Forest Service land), and septic/nitrogen-management adequacy for smaller lots.
A motion to deny the tentative plat was moved and seconded, but the vote on denial resulted in a tie and that motion died for lack of majority. After debate, a commissioner moved to table the item for two months; the commission voted to table the item to Sept. 19 to allow the applicant to supply written documentation from the Forest Service and Arizona Game and Fish and to allow staff to include those documents in the next packet.
The applicant said it expected to produce the requested documents within one to two months; the commission directed staff to reschedule the item for the specified date if the documentation is submitted. The commission did not take a final approval or denial this evening, and the project remains pending initial approval until the record is updated.
