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BISBEE — A San Simon resident will ask the Cochise County Planning and Zoning Commission to approve a special use permit for the purpose of establishing a residential boarding school for needy children up to age 12 years old.
The Chiricahua Agricultural Academy will house up to 10 children of parents who have drug dependence problems and are unable to care for their children on their own, says applicant Marvin W. Huffaker in his request. Huffaker lives full-time on the property.
He currently owns 160 acres that are zoned RU-4 (one single-family residence per four acres) at 2654 N. Mountain View Road and wants to offer educational services in a faith-based setting to help children who are disadvantaged. Five employees are expected to be needed to run the home and school which will offer a safe learning and living environment while the parents obtain treatment.
An existing manufactured home will house the children. An all-purpose structure is proposed for the children’s educational classrooms and recreational activities. The facility will have set hours that run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
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The site is in a rural setting, according to planning staff who have recommended approval of the special use permit. The department has received no letters of support or letters of opposition from neighboring property owners.
The commission members will also hear a request to rezone 42 acres from RU-4 to TR-36 (transitional-residential, minimum lot size 36,000 square feet) to accommodate a 42-lot subdivision off Highway 90 near Whetstone in the Babocamari Area Plan, as requested by Scottsdale company Highway 90 Commercial LLC, represented by Jim Huff.
According to planner Britt Dveris, water conservation design features will need to be implemented in order to meet water limitation requirements. If the parcel was developed under RU-4, an estimated 8.74 acre feet of water would be used, under the projected water use of 100 gallons per day per person.
However, the new zoning would mean an increase in water consumption that would equal 12.94 acre feet of water per year.
“This would leave a water deficit of 4.2 acre feet per year to mitigate,” states Dveris in the impact analysis. “This can be offset by hot water circulation systems, storm water recharge detention basins and low-flow fixtures in each home.”
Problems could arise due to future military operations since the parcel is in the active fly-zone of Fort Huachuca, states Gretchen Kent, director PAIO, U.S. Army Garrison, Fort Huachuca, in a letter to the planning and zoning department.
“This up-zoning could potentially have a negative overall impact on air operations in the airspace, on electronic testing and may exacerbate groundwater depletion in the area,” writes Dveris.
Eleven notices were sent to adjoining property and surrounding property owners. three positive responses were received and no opposition.
Dveris recommends the commission members approve the subdivision.
Also being determined Wednesday is a request for a special use permit to construct a 20-space RV park with accessory structures, horse stalls, corrals and a horse arena on 24 acres off N. Ocotillo Road near Benson.
Julie and Patrick Wycoff have applied for the special use permit and hold a long-term lease agreement with the Arizona State Land Department.
They say the park will operate primarily during snowbird season and will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
Although the parcel is not within the Sierra Vista Sub-watershed District, planning staff have recommended that a “greater effort be made toward water conservation, such as hot-water-on-demand, low water use washing machines and gray water plumbing ... due to the close proximity of the parcel to the San Pedro River.”
Staff recommends approval for the request.
Herald/Review reporter Shar Porier can be reached at 515-4692 or by e-mail at shar.porier@bisbeereview.net.
SV Resident wrote on Sep 10, 2007 10:52 PM: