It’s not exactly back to the drawing board for the developers of the proposed Spring Creek Ranch — but it’s close.
On Dec. 19, the Yavapai County Planning and Zoning Commission voted 5-4 to recommend denial to the Yavapai County Board of Supervisors of a zone change request from Eric Borowsky and his daughter, Lisa Borowsky, for 282 acres between Cottonwood and Sedona.
The Borowskys were scheduled to go before the supervisors last month but requested a continuance. Then, in late January, District 1 Supervisor Rowle P. Simmons made a motion during a meeting to remand the application back to the Planning and Zoning Commission. The board’s vote was unanimous.
“I think this is the right thing to do since the applicant has made substantial changes to the original plan, and because the P&Z commission was mixed on their vote, they had not provided the board with clear direction,” Simmons said.
Now, the Borowskys are scheduled to be on the Thursday, March 19, Planning and Zoning Commission agenda with a new plan in hand.
“It was recommended that, since we are making significant and material changes to our proposal, the Planning and Zoning Commission be provided the opportunity to rehear our zone change request,” Lisa Borowsky said earlier this week. “We agreed that was the best course of action.”
Lisa Borowsky said they have invested considerable time reviewing the input and direction they received from the commissioners, as well as the comments from the public at the December hearing.
“We have made significant changes to our proposal based upon the input received,” she said. “We are hopeful that the commissioners who voted to recommend denial will respond favorably when we revisit them in March.”
The amended zone map change proposal has been reduced to a total of 1,500 single-family home and/or RV lots, a 1,000 lot reduction from the original request. This modification is a 40% decrease in overall density of single-family lots.
The 1,500 lots will include homesites and a maximum of 200 RV spots, down from the original 600. They are still proposing to have 400 apartment units and a 200-unit assisted care living facility.
“In addition, we will focus on doing site-built, single-family residences, if possible,” Lisa Borowsky said. “Our application has been modified to include site built and/or manufactured homes. We are particularly excited about the development of the Yavapai College 3D Construction program which was recently announced. We hope to collaborate with the college to implement this exciting new technology in our development.”
More than 125 people turned out to the county complex in Cottonwood to hear the proposal being brought forward by the Borowskys in December. All but four of the dozens who spoke voiced opposition of the project. This falls in line with the number of letters and emails the county received — 245 opposed and 15 in favor.
Lisa Borowsky said since then they have been talking with residents to help address their concerns about the project.
“We have received support from some wonderful organizations, ones that are very focused on protection of various aspects of the environment, which I believe will be helpful,” she said. “In addition, we are gathering answers and information responsive to questions and concerns raised by the commission and the general public which is helpful.
“Finally, we expect to have support from members of the business, education, and nonprofit communities. As we prepare for the March 19 meeting, we will continue to meet with those that expressed concerns with an eye toward making improvements to our overall plan.”
