Referendum on the lakeshore 650 annexation
In September 2024, the STOPLAKESHORE650 grass roots citizen committee filed an application to petition a referendum on the Fain Signature Group annexation, which encompasses a high-density development.
On Thursday, October 10, 2024, representatives from the STOPLakeshore650 citizen committee delivered boxes of signed petitions to the office of the Prescott Valley Town Clerk. The Committee members were led into the Skybox conference room where they observed the review and intake process for the petitions. Upon completion of the count and recount, the Town Clerk presented the Committee with a receipt for 379 petitions containing 4,563 signatures.
That number far exceeds the 1,455 petition signatures required to place a referendum for the Lakeshore650 annexation on a future ballot.
To achieve this goal within the required 30 day timeframe, a dedicated group of over 40 citizen volunteers put in countless hours and overcame obstacles put in their way by the Town of Prescott Valley and the developer, Fain Signature Group.
The Town of Prescott Valley initially set the required number of petition signatures at 5,709. A Yavapai Superior Court Judge found this to be unconstitutional and ruled that the required number of signatures be equal to 10% of the qualified electors who participated in the July 30, 2024 primary election.
The Fain Signature Group’s “Decline to Sign” campaign included a barrage of text messages, robo-calls, neighborhood canvassing, radio ads and a team of paid “blockers”, set up alongside the citizens’ petition tables, all with the intent to discourage citizens from signing the petition.
Despite these efforts to block the success of the petition drive, the citizen volunteers succeeded in obtaining over 4,500 valid signatures in just 21 days, signifying strong public support in favor of a referendum to let the voters decide on the matter of annexation.
The next steps
The Town Clerk now has 20 days to remove petition sheets and signatures for statutorily specific reasons. If the remaining signatures exceeds the required minimum, a 5% sample will be sent to the County Recorder.
After receiving the sample, the County Recorder will have 15 days to process the petitions, conduct signature verification and notify the Town Clerk.
After receiving the results from the County Recorder, the Town Clerk has 3 days to make the final determination as to whether there are sufficient valid signatures for the measure to qualify for a future ballot. An official announcement has not yet been made, but the referendum could potentially appear on the 2026 General Election ballot or at a Special Election in May 2025.
The Referendum will allow citizens registered to vote in Prescott Valley the opportunity to cast a vote FOR or AGAINST the annexation of 652 acres for the development of a high-density master-planned community near Lakeshore Dr. and Fain Rd.
If annexation is voted down, the County zoning (RCU-2A: Single Family Rural Residential) will remain in place. County zoning would allow 1 single family residence per 2 acre minimum or approx 326 single family homes instead of the proposed 3500 mixed housing units plus commercial.
False Claims
In an attempt to block the referendum on the annexation of 652 acres for the Lakeshore650 high-density master planned community, Fain Signature Group distributed marketing pieces with false and misleading information. See sample below.
Fain Signature Group falsely claims that Lakeshore650 is pioneering water neutral development (WND), supports the environment and addresses our water needs.
The most basic premise of WND is that every drop of captured and reclaimed water is directed back into the aquifer and not reused for any purpose. The Master Development Plan which calls for irrigation of extensive landscaping illustrates that Lakeshore650 will NOT be a water neutral development. A WND demonstration project has not been written into the agreements and it is not known whether the WND concept will work on the terrain of LS650.
Every new home and business consumes groundwater. To develop a high-density community of 3500 housing units, commercial space, parks and athletic fields on land that had been zoned for approximately 300 single family homes does not support the environment or address our water needs. Rather, it will significantly strain our limited groundwater supply that has already been impacted by decades of overpumping by municipal water providers.
Canvassers (referred to as "activists" by FSG) asking for signatures on the petition are giving citizens a chance to be included in the decision-making process. The referendum would give citizens an opportunity to cast a vote for or against annexation. The "Decline to Sign" messaging by the Fain Signature Group would DENY CITIZENS AN OPPORTUNITY TO VOTE on the question of annexation.