Camp Verde’s goal of expanding the corridor along State Route 260 into a commercial hub for the area continues, as the town council on Wednesday, Feb. 3, voted 6-1 to approve a zoning change to allow for increased commercial choices for the Boulder Creek subdivision planned along the highway in the area north of Out of Africa Wildlife Park.
Councilwoman Chris McPhail was the lone vote in opposition.
The council had previously approved an initial zoning change for the 185-acre parcel to allow it to have a mix of residential and commercial use. At Wednesday’s meeting, applicant Dugan McDonald requested a change from C2, or Commercial: General sales and service, planned area development, to C3, Commercial: Heavy Commercial, and M1, Industrial: General, which the council provided.
According to McDonald, the main project that would need the zoning change to C3 is a potential Sprouts grocery store, but beyond that, the desire is to give all businesses there maximum flexibility about the use of the properties they lease.
“The first thing we wanted to do is make as diverse a property as we possibly could, so that we limited the foreseen limitations from investors in the property,” McDonald said. “There currently is a plan to have a shopping mall on one of the commercial properties …. If [businesses] are going to invest a specific amount of money to rent it out, they want as limited limitations as possible on the commercial space.”
The Camp Verde Community Development Department recommended approval of the zoning change, arguing that it aligns with the town’s strategic plan for the area. Community Development asked that the parts of the land closest to the highway remain C2, which McDonald agreed with.
Vice Mayor Joe Butner expressed some opposition to the potential for another RV park on the property. Butner argued that with the high number of RV parks that have been set up recently in the Camp Verde, he was not looking for another one.
“I’m not real excited about a lot more RV park spaces in the Town of Camp Verde, USA,” Butner said.
McDonald told Butner that there were no plans to use any part of it for an RV park, but that it was open for that potential business. The community development director also pointed out that a new RV park would have to seek approval from council before constructing one.
Council Member Jackie Baker asked about the industrial zoning and whether it would conflict with the commercial and residential plans for the corridor. McDonald clarified that the Department of Defense wants to construct some buildings on the property for use for administrative work in the area.
McPhail expressed opposition to the M1 designation, because of a worry that once it was changed, it would be difficult for the council to stop future uses that they did not want.
“We cannot control it once it’s there,” McPhail said.
McDonald pointed out that if a future project sought to take advantage of the M1 zoning, it would have to come before the council as well, and stressed that as the developer, he hoped to only promote projects that fit with the rest of the area. However, McPhail voted no, citing her concern over the M1 designation.
