The federally and state mandated general plans (known by different titles elsewhere) have been required to be produced at least every 10 years, since the Nixon administration, by all jurisdictions that use federal funds. The State of Arizona Growing Smarter and Growing Smarter Plus legislation (ARS 9-461.05 et sequentia) requires a broad based policy guidance plan to manage development, growth and land use, which must be ratified in each jurisdiction by the voters at least every 10 years.
Prescott’s 2015 plan has been completed by volunteers, reviewed by the Planning & Zoning Commission and the City Council and referred to the voters for the August primary election mail ballot. Among the dozens of committee members preparing the last three general plans for Prescott, Lindsay Bell and the writer of this account have served in a variety of capacities, as chairmen of sub-committees and I served as chairman of the 2003 Plan and am serving on the 2015 committee. Bell, as a citizen volunteer, attended many of the 2015 committee meetings for the current plan, over the several years of the development of the document, as did Daniel Mattson, an advocate for the homeless, who is reported as not having missed a meeting.
Prescott Good Governance Committee (PGGC) has been organized by voters and continues to be active in holding non-partisan civic academies to educate the public on charter city governing. PGGC, in encouraging voter participation in the non-partisan elective process for more than 40 years, has officially adopted the Prescott General Plan as their platform for the August 2015 election.
The state requires that the plan include elements addressing the community’s vision for land use, circulation, open space, growth area, environmental planning, cost of development and water resources. Prescott committees added economic development and community quality elements to provide crucial balance to our plan.
For the 2015 plan, 11 Prescott residents were appointed by the council and several council members attended the meetings from time to time, in the capacity of acknowledging existing ordinances and policies, but without a vote.
Land Use is the single element with ordinance level requirement on enforcement. A map addressing the corporate boundaries of the city and detailing the current land uses is included, as well as the very specific detailing of the requirements covering the various uses. The state legislation requires that the city define the major and minor land use change request process, and the city to adopt a resolution setting out the criteria for applications for such changes to the land development code.
An amendment to the zoning code for a parcel of less than 40 acres requires no amendment, but all others are considered a Major Plan Amendment, which requires review by the planning & zoning commission and a vote of the council.
The 2004 City of Prescott Land Use Development Code combines zoning and subdivision codes and has the force of law.
The voters of Prescott have registered a non-partisan political action committee (PAC) Prescott Voters for the 2015 General Plan, with Lindsay Bell as chairman and Iyone Meyer as treasurer. A Speakers Bureau has been formed to address any group requesting a presentation. Voter registration and education is also offered by another non-partisan PAC, The Prescott Good Governance Committee. Either may be reached online; respectively, Lindsay Bell, m-lbell@msn.com and Cecelia Jernegan, cjernegan@hotmail.com.
Along with a graphic lecture on the plan, the general plan speakers bureau presents the principles of The Prescott We Want, a growing movement based on and affiliated with The Arizona We Want. This statewide program of The Center for the Future of Arizona was founded by Lattie Coor, retired president of Arizona State University in 2002. All of the research resulting in recording the opinions of the residents of the state and of Prescott reveal strikingly similar opinions. The survey results, as well as several other planning activities conducted by Prescott voters over the years are reflected in the contents of the 2015 Prescott General Plan. QCBN
Elisabeth Ruffner, recently inducted into the Arizona Women’s Hall of Fame, has dedicated her life to community service in Prescott. Having lived in Prescott since 1940, Ruffner is the founder of the Heritage Foundation of Arizona. She helped secure nominations for more than 700 historic Prescott buildings to the National Register of Historic Places, including the Hassayampa Inn.
By Elisabeth F. Ruffner