At a meeting on Sept. 18, the Yavapai County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a zoning change from residential to commercial that would allow for a new shopping center in the Rimrock area, at the southeastern corner of the intersection of Beaver Creek Road and Dave Wingfield Way.
The plans had already been approved by the county’s Planning and Zoning Commission on Aug. 22.
“It was both a privilege and an honor to have had the opportunity to meet before the board and introduce them to this development project,” developer Dugan McDonald wrote in an email after the approval. “I would like to thank the county planning and zoning staff and the Lake Montezuma property owners association for framing this project in such a positive light.
“As a professional land surveyor and the owner of Heritage Land Survey, our goals and guiding principles have always been to contribute in a positive way to the betterment of the community, all the while doing our part to help safeguard and protect the health and welfare of its citizens. This has been our commitment to this community for over 30 years.”
The proposed shopping plaza would include a Clark’s Market grocery store and pharmacy, along with eight commercial lots ranging from 2,500 to 6,250 square feet arranged around two courtyards, with a parking lot in the center and a gas station next to the parking lot.
The proposal was met with some complaints from nearby residents of Rimrock. Opposition included complaints that it would lead to noise from loading and unloading trucks, as well as bright street lights.
“In canvassing our neighborhood nobody has expressed any interest in doing business with the strip mall,” Margaret “Peggy” Spencer-Coen wrote in a letter to the board of supervisors. “Seems like it might be more appropriate to place it where there is a customer base for the business.”
In her letter, Spencer-Coen also complained about potential erosion due to placing new buildings in that part of the soil and potential problems from water runoff.
Despite some of this opposition, the supervisors expressed enthusiasm for the project and approved it without difficulty.
“It seems like it was overwhelmingly accepted by the neighborhood other than the people that lived right behind it,” said District 2 Supervisor Tom Thurman, who includes the relevant area in his constituency. “I am not going to ever tell anyone that they can’t build a commer- cial property on a main thoroughfare that borders a main thoroughfare.”
Thurman noted that with the Planning and Zoning Commission unanimous in its support for the project, he did not see any reason to raise objections that they had not.
He also said that while the zoning change prevented certain businesses that might be disruptive to a residential community from setting up shop there, such as a strip club or car dealership, he believed that any other business that wants to use the shopping center should be welcome to in the spirit of free enterprise.
