CC - Agendas - City Council - REGULAR - 11/28/2017

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The City's airport wastewater treatment plant and recharge ponds are located beyond the terminus of Melville Road, adjacent to the Granite Creek wash and zoned IB. An undeveloped city-owned tract lies north of the airport. Zoned IA and IBD, the 74-acre tract has no existing access. Two borrow pits operate within Granite Creek, one of which is Hanson Aggregates (formerly Yavapai Materials) located east of Larry Caldwell Drive. This site was recently approved for a new concrete batch plant. The United Metro Materials site, located south of Larry Caldwell Drive, will be served by direct interchange access to the planned airport connector. Reportedly this sand and gravel pit and asphalt batch plant will be decommissioned soon, and a new concrete batch plant will be proposed. Sandretto Park is another substantially built out, light industrial subdivision (IA & IBD) located west of Willow Creek Road. Embry Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) has a 500-acre tract presently devoted to campus-related uses. It includes 155 acres of undeveloped IA-zoned property. The balance is BA PAD, which includes the campus and student housing and is only partially developed. A few scattered commercially zoned sites exist along the arterial Willow Creek Road, including convenience gas stores at both the Willow Lake Road and SR 89 intersections. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT The ASAP area contains most of Prescott's growing industrial base. Companies locating near the airport include aeronautical, manufacturing, and service industries. This area has grown steadily over the last decade and provides tremendous job opportunities for Tri-city residents. The vacant land near the Airport contains the largest concentration of available industrial-zoned property in Prescott, and should be encouraged to develop. To that end, a survey was distributed to 32 companies on and near the Airport. Almost 70% returned the survey, with the following notable results: • There is significant support for an internal airport road that connects the entire airport. • There is also significant support for a second access to the Prescott Airpark. • In assessing why they chose their present location, the top 3 factors were its location and proximity to the Airport, cost of land/construction, and quality infrastructure. • In assessing their needs for future expansion, the top 3 factors influencing their expansion are proximity to existing plant/airport, cost of land, and cost of construction. • The #1 issue facing these companies is legislative concerns (federal/state/local) by a margin of 2 to 1. The next most frequent answer was emerging technologies, and then industry changes. • The respondents used freight service at the airport as follows: 40% daily or frequently and 60% occasionally or never. • Passenger service was used as follows: 45% daily or frequently and 55% occasionally or never. Clearly, the ASAP area is the most appropriate for additional industrial development. These uses should be encouraged and facilitated to achieve the balanced economy Prescott and other area residents desire. INFRASTRUCTURE Prescott Municipal Airport, Ernest A. Love Field — The Prescott Municipal Airport was originally constructed in 1926, and renamed Ernest A. Love Field for a World War I fighter pilot from Prescott. The airport has grown to become the 2nd busiest airport in Arizona and the 8th busiest in the country among general aviation airports due largely to the student training activities of Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. This general aviation airport also handles regular freight and mail deliveries, regional wildfire suppression (including slurry bombers), executive air services, recreational flying, and passenger service connecting to Sky Harbor in 8