By Tammy Gray-Searles A massive area plan for Aztec Land and Cattle Company was unanimously approved by the Navajo County Planning and Zoning Commission during a special meeting held March 30. Changes to the county’s compre-hensive plan to incorporate the Aztec plan were also approved. Both plans will now go before the Board of Supervisors for final approval, and they are expected to be in-cluded on the April 12 agenda. Although the plan was approved, there are no timelines associated with development, and detailed plans must still be submitted and approved through the county’s standard process before construction can begin. Aztec officials have indicated that any development would be based on growth, and there are no plans to immediately begin the developments included in the plan, rather they are long-term plans based on long-range projections for population increases in Arizona. Commercial or industrial developments would be likely to oc-cur first, with residential development following to meet an increased demand for housing. Existing roadways, including primitive dirt roads, would be used as much as possible in building access roads to the proposed developments. For most areas, private wells would supply water. Only one member of the public spoke regarding the area plan during the planning and zoning meeting. He noted that he was in support of the plan, and appreciated that Aztec officials took time to speak with residents and make the planning process transparent. Aztec’s plan covers 227,958 acres, or 356 square miles, in central Navajo County. Due to the large area covered in the plan, it is divided into 14 different sub-plans, or planning areas, for different portions of the property. The complete plan, including maps and details of proposed developments, is available by visiting www.navajocountyaz.gov/pubworks/pz/ and clicking on “Comprehensive Plan” on the left-hand menu, then clicking on “Aztec Area Plan” in the drop-down menu. Taylor Ranch Three sections located southwest of the Snowflake-Taylor area are designated as Taylor Ranch. A commu-nity village is planned for the property, which is described as a “low density residential community.” The plan calls for between 1,900 and 3,800 residential units on 1,913 acres. Silver Creek Ranch Located north of Snowflake along Highway 77 on 16 sections, Silver Creek Ranch will have residential, commercial and industrial development under the plan. “It is anticipated that between 2,100 and 4,900 homes may be built within this district, which includes a density range of 0.2 to 0.5 dwelling units per acre,” the plan notes. Approximately 8,106 acres would be dedicated to residential development, and 2,411 acres to commercial and industrial development. Snowflake North The Snowflake North development is located along State Route 277, just outside of Snowflake. A commu-nity village with 4,500 to 8,900 residential units is planned on 8,946 acres. Mill Crossing Located near the pulp mill outside of Snowflake, Mill Crossing is slated for industrial and residential devel-opment, with the residential area designated as “rural edge.” Between 1,200 and 2,900 homes would be built on approximately 5,803 acres. Industrial development would occur just east of the pulp mill on approximately 2,542 acres. Porter Ranch Near Highway 377, east of the pulp mill, the plan outlines Porter Ranch, which encompasses 10,923 acres, include community village and rural edge residential developments. The community village would include 1,800 to 3,500 residential units on 3,520 acres, while the rural edge development would have 1,500 to 3,700 residences on 7,403 acres. Pink Cliffs Tucked between Highways 77 and 377, near both Pigs for Farmer John and Dry Lake Wind Farm Phase I, Pink Cliffs planning area calls for 1,300 residential units on 6,382 acres. The plan notes that the fixed number of houses is due to limited water resources. Apache District The Apache District encompasses 23,852 acres located in the triangular area sandwiched between Highways 377 and 77, with the northernmost tip at the intersection of those highways near the Navajo County Complex. It continues south to the Dry Lake Wind Farm. Plans call for industrial and commercial development, as well as rural edge residential. Industrial and com-mercial sites are roughly located near the county governmental center and along Highway 77 west of Woodruff, while residential units would be farther west between the two highways. A total of 5,120 acres are designated for commercial and industrial use, while the remaining 18,732 acres are designated as rural edge residential in the plan. West Woodruff Approximately 11,136 acres are designated as West Woodruff planning area, although the majority of the land is located north of Woodruff, on the east side of Highway 77. Plans call for agricultural, industrial, com-munity village and rural edge development. Plans note that 1,900 to 3,800 homes could be constructed on 3,764 acres as part of the community village, while 1,200 to 3,000 homes could be built on 6,043 acres as part of the rural edge. A total of 54 acres are set aside for industrial development, while 1,275 are designated as agricultural. Aztec Ranch Bordering Holbrook, Aztec Ranch planning area is south of Holbrook and west of Highway 77. It also ex-tends west, just south of McLaws Road. The plan calls for a community village and commercial development. The community village could include 4,500 to 13,500 residential units on 8,983 acres, while commercial devel-opment is planned on 66 acres. West Camp South of Joseph City and spreading westward south of Territorial Road/McLaws Road, West Camp is the largest area included in the sub-plans, totaling 79,373 acres. Plans call for commercial, agricultural, rural ranch, rural edge and community village developments. West Camp also includes a large “power line overlay” zone for major electric transmission lines crossing the property. Plans for West Camp include 4,500 residential units on 8,960 acres in the community village, 12,400 resi-dential units on 59,821 acres in the rural edge development and 800 residential units on 7,712 acres in the rural ranch development. A total of 2,560 acres are set aside for agricultural use, 320 acres for commercial use and 2,802 acres as part of the power line overlay zone. Duck Lake South and west of West Camp, Duck Lake planning area calls for a community village and rural edge de-velopment on 7,676 acres. The plan includes 1,300 to 2,600 homes on 2,560 acres as the community village, and 1,000 to 2,600 homes on 5,116 acres for the rural edge development. McCauley Ranch McCauley Ranch planning area is west of West Camp, south of Joseph City and north of the Duck Lake planning area, and includes 18,390 acres. Rural edge and rural ranch developments are included in the plans, as well as 354 acres for a power line overlay zone. A total of 600 to 1,400 homes are planned on 2,808 acres for the rural edge development, and 800 to 1,600 residential units are planned on 15,583 acres as part of the rural ranch development. Territorial Ranch West of Joseph City and just south of Interstate 40, Territorial Ranch plans include only rural ranch devel-opment and a power line overlay zone. Rural ranch plans call for 2,500 to 5,000 residential units on 24,897 acres. The power line overlay zone includes 219 acres. Well Field District The well field district is just east of Territorial Ranch and south of Joseph City, near Cholla Power Plant. Plans for the district include 1,300 to 3,300 homes on 6,560 acres. A power line overlay zone is also designated on 414 acres.