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Douglas council hears property-owner plea over city-owned strip, moves to executive session on code enforcement
Summary
A property owner told Douglas council that about 30 feet of land along A Avenue is city-owned and contributing to blight, asking the council to donate the strip or improve it to enable redevelopment; the council then voted 7-0 to meet in executive session under ARS 38-431.03(A3) to seek legal advice on code enforcement and strategic investment.
The Douglas Mayor and Council met in special session on May 13, 2026, heard a property-owner request about a narrow city-owned strip that she said is blocking redevelopment, and voted unanimously to enter an executive session to receive legal advice on code enforcement and potential strategic investment.
Kim Peralta, a property owner at 2250 14th Street, told the council that "approximately 30 feet of the property from the A Avenue sidewalk is owned by the City of Douglas, contributing to the existing blight issue," and asked the council either to donate that portion to the adjacent owner so redevelopment can proceed or, if the city retains ownership, to improve the strip for public benefit, such as creating a park. She said she and her partners have development plans and supporting materials but cannot move forward without council action.
Mayor Jose Grijalva and city staff announced two executive-session items citing state law: (A) to consider the city's position and obtain legal advice regarding code enforcement and abatement issues for parcel numbers 41018040, 41018041, 41018042 and 41018043; and (B) to consider the city's position and obtain legal advice regarding strategic investment for certain areas within the city. The council identified ARS 38-431.03(A3) as the statutory authority for the closed session.
Councilmember Jose Montaño moved to enter executive session at 4:35 p.m.; Councilmember Richard C. Acosta seconded. The motion passed on a 7-0 vote. Those recorded as voting in favor were Mayor Jose Grijalva and Council Members Ida Pedrego, Jose Montaño, Gustavo Durazo Jr., Ray Shelton, Maria Dillman and Richard C. Acosta. The minutes record that the executive session was adjourned at 5:46 p.m.
A subsequent motion to adjourn the special meeting at 5:46 p.m. was made by Council Member Maria Dillman, seconded by Council Member Ida Pedrego, and passed unanimously. The minutes were prepared by Deputy City Clerk Cynthia Acuña Robles.
The public minutes do not record any formal action on Ms. Peralta's request or disclose the substance of the executive-session discussion; next steps were not specified in the publicly posted minutes.
