What began as a community protest against the Dollar General Store has evolved into a working group of local Sonoita and Elgin residents that is calling itself the Sonoita Commercial Area Plan (SCAP). The mission of SCAP is to provide a road map for future growth that will blend, complement and balance development with existing structures in the crossroads area.
Even as construction continues on the controversial Dollar General Store at the corner of state routes 82 and 83 in Sonoita, this group has been meeting to develop new building and use guidelines for the Sonoita commercial area. The group, comprised of Susan Scott, Kat Crockett, Jim Johnson, John Kugler, Jerry Bianchi, Sue Archibald and Laura Rinderer, hopes to prevent another such building in the future, and to preserve property values, maintain and enhance the rural environment and scenic corridors, preserve the unique heritage of the Northeast Santa Cruz County area and, lastly, manage growth to avoid haphazard development and sprawl which alters our unique community character.
With the guidance of Jesse Drake, Santa Cruz County Development Director, the group is following a process that involves Arizona state statutes and Santa Cruz County regulations. Included in the process is making an inventory of what already exists and finding commonalities among our buildings. To accomplish this, Jim Johnson has photographed every building within the business zoning on routes 82 and 83, stretching from the L&L Transport office on the far east side of route 82 to High Noon Feed on the south side of 83. The group will be looking at structures, architectural details and constructions materials to be included in a draft plan. For example, when describing historical “ranch style,” the group will need to demonstrate by photograph and architectural drawings exactly what is meant by that term so that there is no question for future developers.
The group is in the preliminary stages of developing the draft plan. Once it has been finalized, the group will hold a public open house for everyone in the community to review the plan and provide input. Additionally, Arizona statutes require that all property owners within, and adjacent to, the commercial zoning area be contacted about the proposed plan. After public input, the plan must then be published in the local newspaper. The group will be soliciting support from our local organizations such as the Sonoita-Elgin Fire District, Elgin School, Elgin Club, Rotary Club, the Sonoita-Elgin Chamber of Commerce, etc. Once all that is done, the plan will go to the county for final approval and implementation.
So, if you run into any of the SCAP committee members, please thank them for all their hard work. And please stop by the Mini Mart in Sonoita to pick up your Buy Local bumper sticker to show support for all of our local businesses that do so much for our community.