Talk of the Town 

Prescott Valley must grow or die, and other misconceptions 

By JEAN MOTTA 

Special to the Tribune 

Originally Published: October 17, 2023 9:59 a.m. 

https://www.dcourier.com/news/2023/oct/17/talk-town-prescott-valley-must-grow-or-die-and-oth/ 

Prescott Valley is beginning the process of annexing 652 acres of Yavapai County land near Lakeshore Drive and Fain Road, into the Town of Prescott Valley. The landowner proposes to develop a master planned community of approximately 3,500 houses plus commercial opportunities for retail, services and restaurants. 

This new community will be in addition to the 3,300 new construction housing units, of one type or another, that have been approved since 2020 by the Prescott Valley Town Council. 

Many of those units are not yet built, nor occupied, drawing into question the need for the construction of even more housing at this time. 

What has this aggressive residential growth in Prescott Valley added to our quality of life? Do we enjoy a stronger commercial base? Do all construction jobs go to local workers who spend their paychecks in town? Do we have more public facilities such as schools and libraries? Has it provided for higher quality transportation, roads and public transit? Are all government departments adequately staffed to meet the needs of the community? Do we feel safer on the roads and in our neighborhoods? 

Conversely, does it degrade the quality of life for the majority of existing residents? 

Town leaders state that if Prescott Valley doesn’t grow, the town will die from lack of revenue. This suggests that the town will always be playing catch-up and will always need more growth to support previous growth. Increased growth will never generate enough revenue to pay for all of the infrastructure demands created by building thousands of homes. With every new home that is constructed, additional pressure is put on the town’s infrastructure, including streets, schools, police and streets maintenance to name a few.

Tax revenue from residential growth cannot be specifically quantified, since Prescott Valley does not collect a municipal property tax. It’s difficult to determine how much money the new residents will spend while shopping and dining within the town limits versus within the surrounding communities, making estimates of sales tax revenue unreliable. Spending habits are seasonal and influenced by other economic factors that must be taken into consideration, too. 

Increases in population come with their own sets of costs. Improvements to infrastructure – both physical and social – are needed to support the growing number of households. Prescott Valley leaders have admitted that various types of infrastructure and policies that should have been implemented many, many years ago are today only in the planning stages. 

Prescott Valley residents are feeling the strains of aggressive growth. 

Until physical and social infrastructure catches up and is in place to support both existing and future residents, how can town leaders justify annexation and development of higher density communities? Proof of sustainability must be demonstrated. Quality of life for existing residents must take priority. 

Growth is an option. Stability and sustainability are requirements. 

Jean Motta is the communications director for the Prescott Valley Citizens Alliance (PVCA), a 501(c)(4) not-for-profit organization. For more information, visit PVCitizensAlliance.org. 

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