Last week the Winslow City Council approved a preliminary area of development for a 14.5-acre lot that will hold 80 duplexes or 160 total units. This decision came on a 6-1 vote with Councilmember Darcy McKee being the solo vote against.
The council had declared a state of emergency surrounding housing during the previous meeting, which may have largely motivated them to vote in that way. Fourteen members of the public spoke during the call to the public for this development who, among other things, were largely upset with the number of units and the increase in traffic it will cause.
Navajo County Economic Director Chris Pasterz spoke during the call to the public, calling the issues that people are concerned about “growing pains” with new growth in a city. He added that there are going to be increases in things like traffic and other issues, but these are good problems to have.
Gail Jackson, the director of the Economic Collaborative of Northern Arizona, spoke about all the benefits that the new housing development would have for the community, including allowing more people to live in Winslow and spend money at the businesses.
Gina Williams, a member of the public who lives next to where the new development will be, was concerned that the water from the development will flood her backyard and that promises made won’t be kept if the development goes through.
Most of the residents who spoke during call to the public live next to where the development will go in. The biggest issue discussed was traffic. Having 160 units would see an increase to this local traffic and residents are concerned with what that will do on the nearby infrastructure as well as their homes. Many of the residents admitted that Winslow is in a desperate need for housing, and many of them said that there should be housing there but much less with larger spaces in between properties.
Many residents who attended during the August meeting expressed concern with the project providing low-income housing because they felt uncomfortable living next to a development, they say would bring more crime to their neighborhood. However, during that meeting the developer, Steve Lesondak, made it clear that these properties would not be for low income residents and he plans on charging at least $1,350 a month for rent.
During last week’s meeting several residents spoke about the high cost of the rent and that $1,350 is too much for a family in Winslow to afford. Councilmember McKee spoke about how she doesn’t see how the average family in Winslow could afford that per month.
Sandra Knight spoke about the issues with traffic and said that she drives past some of Lesondak’s properties on a daily basis, and she has concerns about how well-kept the properties would be after they’re built. McKee spoke about those same issues, saying that she accessed public information with the county assessor’s office and found what properties in town Lesondak owned. McKee said she visited a property of his that had boarded up windows and that she too is concerned about how the properties would be managed. Lesondak argued that none of his properties were in that condition and that the duplex development would have a full-time property manager as soon as they had the first phase of properties built.
Steve Henling was one of the few members of the public who came out to speak in support of the project, adding to the conversation that his sewer bill keeps going up and without more properties being added to the sewer line and paying into the system the prices are going to continue to rise for him.
Vice Mayor Jim MacLean asked Lesondak if there was any wiggle room with the amount of units on the property and the developer replied that there wasn’t, that the cost to develop the land compared to what he could get with rent just did not make sense business-wise unless there were that many units.
Ultimately the council voted to approve the preliminary planned area of development. What this does is change the zoning of the property, which allows the developer to show financial institutions that the project has legs and can go ahead with funding. The next step is Lesondak will have to show a final planned area of development within two years, at which time there will be another public meeting and greater insight into how the project will look.
In other business the council approved an update to the city’s policies and strategies for handling homelessness and urban camping. Due to Proposition 312 property owners are allowed to seek reimbursement for municipal tax expenses incurred while addressing homelessness-related nuisances, and the Supreme Court ruling upholds the enforcement of urban camping regulations under the eighth amendment. This updated policy is designed to address these issues, establish clear enforcement mechanisms, and maintain a documented record of the city’s response.
The policy mandates that all nuisance laws be enforced without exception and outlines strategies to remove encampments and safeguard public health. It calls for partnerships with county, state, and federal agencies, as well as local nonprofits, to connect individuals experiencing homelessness with services such as food, shelter, rehabilitation and mental health counseling.
When unattended property is found on public property and the owner cannot be immediately located, city staff must assess whether the items are hazardous materials, trash, or personal property. The city is required to provide notice, by tagging or posting a sign, that specifies the earliest date and time for removal. Hazardous items will be disposed of immediately, while other property will be stored for up to 30 days or for at least one year in the case of identification cards, driver’s licenses, and medical insurance cards. The notice will come with instructions on how to reclaim the items.
For homeless encampments, the policy requires that outreach be conducted before any cleanup occurs. A notice with a specific cleanup date and time will be issued, allowing time for individuals to vacate the area and remove their belongings. If property is left behind, it will be stored according to the established guidelines.
The council also proclaimed February as Black History Month.
The next meeting of the Winslow City Council will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 25, in the meeting room located at 523 W. Second St.
