Deep Well Ranch development under consideration

Plans for the long-term development of a 1,800-acre multiuse residential and commercial project have been presented before several community meetings and City Council and city planning and zoning officials during the past several months.
Trevor Barger, Chief Executive Officer of Espiritu Loci, a Scottsdale-based firm, has been representing Chamberlain Development and the James Family during many of these presentations.
Proposed to be built at the northeast edge of Prescott, west of the Prescott Municipal Airport and near Highway 89 going north to Chino Valley, the project will be on what is currently vacant land. That acreage is just a small portion of the 19,000-acre James Ranch.
Barger and his associates emphasize that the current proposal is being reviewed at virtually every possible level before any action will occur.
In August, the City of Prescott Planning and Zoning Commission conducted several meetings, including hosting public hearings at Prescott City Hall.
The proposal has been controversial to some in the greater community. Some individuals have been critical of the proposed density of the development — up to as many as 10,000 new homes. Others have criticized proposals to have building elevations as high as 150 feet. That proposal since has been modified.
Others have questioned availability of water. Prescott Regional Programs Director Craig McConnell has been quoted as saying that currently, Deep Well Ranch has been vested with approximately 950-acre-feet of water.
Barger has said growth and development are not planned for the immediate future.
“People need to recognize that we are looking at a 35- to 50-year growth period. We’re trying to anticipate what needs and interests will be in 20 to 30 years,” Barger said. “We want to be visionary in planning for the future.”
In brief, the development will contain single-family, multi-family, industrial light, mixed use, business, regional and specially-planned community uses. What that means is that residential, retail, commercial and public space will be given consideration.
Barger also has emphasized that approximately 400 acres of open space, including a wildlife corridor, are included in the development proposal.
Review of the development proposal will continue through the coming months.