Peoria Sonoran Preservation Program
Peoria is home to what many consider to be the last unspoiled and unprotected remnant of the Sonoran Desert in the Phoenix-Metropolitan area. The city has always considered this resource to be precious. In the late 1990s, the first formalized preservation efforts by the city were adopted with the Desert Lands Conservation Master Plan (DLCMP), which established general preservation criteria and implementation tasks appropriate for the time.
Now, with many of the original implementation tasks complete, the current economic downturn, and subsequent slowing of development pressure has pushed the city into the task of narrowing its focus to prioritize its preservation and acquisition criteria. The Planning & Community Development staff has been working closely with AECOM, a highly-regarded national land use and open space planning consultant, to develop the scope and delivery method of the new Open Space Prioritization, Preservation & Acquisition Program. This program intends to balance preservation and land use, so where many preservation plans simply isolate natural areas from the public, this program is focused on determining community and stakeholders’ values and reaching a mutual understanding of how preservation can work for everybody.
View the Letter From the Director Regarding the Boulders OHV Area
