Arizona Eco asked to resubmit annexation application for Granite Dells development proposal

City of Prescott requests more information

Local residents interested in hearing the details of a development proposal in the Granite Dells area will have to wait for at least another week.

After Arizona Eco Development’s first attempt to file for annexation in the Granite Dells area was rejected by the City of Prescott about a week and a half ago, developers are working on a revised submittal.

Prescott Planning Manager George Worley reported in early July that city officials had determined that Arizona Eco’s initial application was incomplete, and the city was asking for more information.

The city later released a statement regarding the request for information on the annexation agreement, stating: “The city has not yet received a complete application for annexation and, as a result, no annexation is pending.”

Jason Gisi of Arizona Eco said Wednesday, July 11, that the company is working to include the additional information.

He was hopeful that the revised application would be submitted by about the middle of next week.

“We’re having to revise some legal descriptions, and there’s a technical piece that we missed related to state statute on annexations,” Gisi said.

Among the issues with the original application was insufficient information on the nearby property owners. Gisi said the initial paperwork omitted the state requirement to include properties in the area — a list that likely will number in the hundreds.

“The city let us know that the list of properties has to be included,” Gisi said, adding that the list would basically include “everyone in the neighborhood.”

That list will then be used by the city to notify the property owners of the pending annexation.

With all of the required reviews and steps to come, Gisi estimated that the first public discussion on the Arizona Eco project by the Prescott Planning and Zoning Commission is likely still 60 to 90 days away — kicking off what could be a series of Planning and Zoning Commission meetings.

Worley also emphasized the lengthy process.

Because both of Arizona Eco’s properties exceed 250 acres — 900 acres for the southern parcel near the Point of Rocks, and 1,600 for the northern portion near the Prescott Airport — they fall under the requirements of the voter-approved Reasonable Growth Initiative, also known as Proposition 400.

That means that a public comment period of no less than 60 days must take place after the formal vote on a master plan by the Planning and Zoning Commission.

After the 60-day public comment period, the Prescott City Council will then weigh in with meetings of its own.

In all, Worley said, “It will be six to seven months, if things don’t stall. It could get close to a year.”

Meanwhile, City Attorney Jon Paladini said Arizona Eco’s initial submittal is not considered public information because it is not a complete application.

“They could withdraw it at any time and revamp it,” Paladini said of the developers. “It is considered a draft; it is not even considered an application at this point.”

After the complete application is submitted, city officials say the information will be available for public review on the city’s website, http://www.prescott-az.gov/, and at city hall.

Arizona Eco’s plans have generated considerable attention in the community. Two informational meetings in May each attracted several hundred attendees, and a June rally by the Save the Dells group attracted more than 1,200 people.