When the Patagonia Planning and Development Committee met on Feb. 10 to discuss amendments to the subdivision chapter of the town code, committee members were startled by news that surfaced during the meeting’s call to the public.
Townspeople Bob Proctor and Lonnie Goff informed the committee that, as of Jan. 1, much of its authority to review and approve development plans had been stripped away. House Bill 2447, signed into law by Gov. Katie Hobbs last March, requires municipalities to authorize administrative personnel to “review and approve site plans, development plans, land divisions, lot line adjustments, lot ties, preliminary plats, final plats and plat amendments without a public hearing.” The law also requires the adoption of objective, quantifiable review standards that are clearly defined, measurable and free from subjective judgment.
According to published reports, the motivations for the bill were to expedite and streamline the development process. But for a town as small as Patagonia, that essentially places these responsibilities in the hands of one person: Town Manager Ron Robinson.
“It’s crazy,” Robinson told the committee. “They’re putting more work on us and not allowing the public to have a voice.”
Robinson said Patagonia and other smaller municipalities have been working with lobbyists to reverse the law or provide exemptions based on population – for example, towns and cities of fewer than 50,000 residents.
Doing away with public hearings, in particular, struck a nerve among the committee.
Georgette Laurroy suggested the committee draft a resolution that “states clearly that we do not agree with this because it just doesn’t work for us.”
‘Totally inappropriate’
Proctor told the committee he considered the new law “totally inappropriate” and unfair to the town manager.
“I think the public has a right to voice their opinion,” Proctor said. “One of the things that’s special about our community, we’re very close, everybody knows almost everybody and we work together. I hope that we can be able to continue this in the future.”
Robinson spoke with the PRT after the meeting adjourned to express his concerns with the law.
“It just puts more work on one person,” he said, adding that Planning and Development Committee members “do a lot of volunteer work on behalf of the town.”
The town would still require public hearings for rezoning requests, general plan amendments and conditional use permits.
While the law doesn’t necessitate disbanding the committee, Robinson said it might make sense to dissolve the six-member committee and create a community development advisory board under the authority of the town manager’s office, as opposed to a subcommittee of the Town Council. That could still allow for public input without violating the public hearings prohibition.
“You know our town – everybody wants to have a voice, and it just cuts them out and makes them mute,” Robinson said. “That’s unfair. So, under my office, it’s a totally different animal.”
Committee responsibilities
Subdivision review has been within the Planning and Development Committee’s purview, but such developments are rare in Patagonia, and the committee’s responsibilities are diverse.
The town website states that the committee is responsible for “identifying and evaluating the unique factors influencing the character and locations of development in the town. The Committee shall give attention to both existing conditions and to potential and desirable changes.”
Other responsibilities include revising the long-term town plan, zoning regulations and maps, and serving as an advisory body to the Town Council on “all planning and development matters.”
Coronado Ridge
While the new law adds a layer of uncertainty regarding future development in Patagonia, uncertainly also lingers over a subdivision that was approved by the Town Council in January 2019.
Coronado Ridge Development Corp., owned by Martin Short of Carmel, Indiana, was hit with a cease-and-desist order from the Arizona Department of Real Estate on Jan. 27, 2025, prohibiting it from selling or offering for sale any parcels within the 16-lot residential subdivision. Coronado Ridge was ordered to file a Subdivisions Disclosure Report – 25 consumer disclosures relating to improvements installed by the subdivider – and to date that has not happened.
The ADRE said the order remains in full force and effect, and it has not received an application for a disclosure report from the developer. Short did not respond to an inquiry from the PRT regarding Coronado Ridge’s intentions for the property.
Construction has continued on at least two houses within the development, though they cannot be offered for sale under the current order – and it’s unclear whether they could ever be sold, given the hurdles Coronado Ridge must overcome.
The area in question is on the northern end of Roadrunner Lane and east of Second Avenue. No final plat has been recorded with Santa Cruz County, which is required by the Subdivisions Disclosure Report and should have precluded the issuance of building permits. In addition, Coronado Ridge has not obtained a report from the Arizona Department of Water Resources demonstrating an adequate 100-year water supply, which is a requirement of Patagonia’s Mandatory Adequacy Jurisdiction Ordinance. With no assurance of an adequate water supply, the subdivision would be illegal.
Laurie Monti, chair of the Planning and Development Committee, recommended that the town explore asking the Department of Water Resources to participate in a public forum regarding water adequacy.