Arizona Fights Sprawl

If local communities don't have funds to purchase desert lands as preserves, it's only a matter of time until they're developed.

1 minute read

January 27, 2002, 5:00 AM PST

By Chris Steins @planetizen

"It's hard to envision this land filled with homes," says Truman, who has been farming in the shadow of the White Tanks since 1946. "Before, there wasn't a soul out here."But the tile rooftops of Surprise are already visible in the distance. The lavalike flow of development is creeping across desert land... In the West Valley, however, public money to buy desert land and preserve it is virtually non-existent. West Valley officials insist that by working with developers, they can preserve large amounts of land without having to buy it. But environmentalists fear the preservation movement that has so flourished in Scottsdale won't take root on the west side."

Thanks to Chris Steins

FULL STORY: Fighting W. Valley sprawl

Saturday, January 26, 2002 in The Arizona Republic

Land Use Arizona

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