The initial proposal for the 282 acre Spring Creek Ranch development on the banks of Spring Creek called for 3,100 housing units: 1900 manufactured home lots, 600 recreational vehicle pads, 400 rental units, and a 200 unit assisted living facility.
Facing massive opposition from hundreds of citizens, this proposal was voted down by the Yavapai County Planning and Zoning commission (P&Z).
The developers most recent proposal called for 2,100 housing units: 1,500 manufactured or site-built home lots of which up to 200 may be used for recreational vehicle pads, 400 rental units and a 200 unit assisted living facility.
The developer then petitioned the City of Cottonwood to annex Spring Creek Ranch. After a series of public hearings and meetings, on Tuesday January 19 Cottonwood voted to annex the property along with 11 square miles of National Forest land. Please see the photo above for a depiction of the area to be annexed.
It’s important to note that annexation of the 11 square miles of National Forest land simply moves it from within the boundaries of Yavapai County to within the boundaries of Cottonwood. NOTHING about the use of the land changes, and Cottonwood will have no authority over that portion of the National Forest. From the perspective of the National Forest, it is fundamentally irrelevant which jurisdiction the land falls under.
The main reason that Cottonwood annexed Spring Creek Ranch was to expedite the eventual annexation of the adjacent State Land Trust land. State Land Trust land, by definition, does not really belong in a jurisdiction. The State owns it, and nothing can happen to it unless/until the State sells it. To learn more about State Land Trust land, CLICK HERE. That land could sell next year, or it may remain State Land Trust land for decades. There’s no way to know.
From this point on, any rezoning and eventual development will be evaluated by the City of Cottonwood. It’s likely that the developer will submit yet another proposal, since Cottonwood has expressed their belief that the project should be scaled back considerably. Once a proposal is submitted, Keep Sedona Beautiful will evaluate it in consultation with the Cornville Community Association.
We will update our members at that time.