April 3, 2012
How would you like to wake up to a hotel and amphitheater in your
country desert backyard?
The Town of Cave Creek is considering re-zoning
220 acres of desert rural residential property that is currently zoned to
accommodate less than 50 homes to mixed use commercial property to construct a
220 bed resort with an approx 80 single family home residential component.
This project is called Enchanted Canyon Resort, and its site is in the
heart of our Desert Rural neighborhood, where Continental Mountain Road and
72nd Street connect, about 1.5 miles north of Harold’s (in the town core of
Cave Creek) as the crow flies.
Cave Creek is the type of town that is proud to have no stoplights
and where residents can ride their horse to a bar and sit for a spell enjoying
a neighborly conversation. For
residents, this rural desert lifestyle is why we love Cave Creek and is what
the town trades on to draw tourists to its unique charms.
The Enchanted Canyon project is ill-conceived, and here’s why:
- The proposed site is in the heart of a desert rural neighborhood, over 1.5 miles from the commercial town core and where the DR-190 zoning permits one house per five acres.
- These rural hilltops are not hydrologically, archeologically, environmentally, or economically suited for this type of development. This land can handle one house per five acres, not a hotel and amphitheater.
- This project will generate in excess of 1000 vehicle trips per day every day, of non-resident traffic, through the intersections at Cave Creek Rd and School House Road, School House Rd and Fleming Springs, and through to the site at 72nd Street and Continental Mountain Rd.
- This resort plans to draw on Cave Creek town water which is an antiquated and poorly functioning system currently, and is grievously underequipped to handle this amount of additional use.
- Town infrastructure such as roads, sewage, and water will have to be modified greatly and maintained long term at the town’s expense. Even if the developer pays for initial upgrades, the total cost of ownership of these improvements will rest on the town, already deeply in debt.
- Local merchants will not be receiving a flood of cash-wielding guests from this resort, as they have been dreaming of. The resort is billing itself as a “staycation” environment that includes food service and even an amphitheater for entertainment – these guests will not be making a run into town for a cappuccino or a burger. They will be ensconced in their resort.
- That is, IF the resort actually draws any traffic. Cave Creek currently has several resort properties within just a few miles: Rancho Mañana, Carefree Conference Inn, the Boulders…. None of which are bringing hordes of money-spending tourists to town in the last few years. The developer’s proposal projects a 50% occupancy rate. The amount of hotel and sales tax revenue coming from this amount of occupancy (or even at full occupancy) is not going to erase the town’s financial woes, not by a long shot.
Be wise, citizens of Cave Creek (and rural desert land everywhere): This proposed development will surely
increase town spending on improved infrastructure, pushing the town further
into debt… debt which will be the used as a rationale to
push additional “economic development” in the form of more zoning changes and
higher density residential and commercial development in your rural
neighborhoods throughout town.
First comes the resort, then comes the stop
lights, strip malls, and Applebee’s…. then you can say goodbye to wildlife,
horseback rides, night skies, the local coffee shop, and a cohesive and
coherent town core.
Signed,
Nedra Stuckey, MBA, Creeker
7301 E. Highland Rd.,
Cave Creek, AZ 85331
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