It would be a safe bet to say that water was the main topic at the Dec. 17 meeting of The Cave Creek Town Council. At the outset, though, Mayor Bunch did proclaim January as “Stand up, save a life” month and shared the proclamation with CCUSD students in attendance. Following a recap by the Town Manager of the year’s accomplishments and financial status, council turned to the agenda. First order of business was to appoint 2 new members to fill vacancies on both the Planning Commission and Water Advisory Board. Secondly, there were 3 similar motions to approve water related issues carried over from Phase 1 of the Cave Creek/Phoenix IGA (Intergovernmental Agreement) as they related to:
- Sprouts
- Dutch Bros.
- Sun Devil Auto
All were approved unanimously
On to the heart of the meeting and the last 3 items on the agenda, the first described as legislative and the final two as administrative. At the heart of the matter, was approval of 22.03 acres for mixed use development. The defining terms allowing for more “flexibility” on the second two, namely Platt and Site Plans.
There was back and forth commentary and presentments by attorneys, engineers, water and traffic experts. The language, particularly the “self-help” reference, was brought into question by Councilman Morris to which the Town Attorney acknowledged a risk factor – and one member of the Water Advisory Board advised council to wait until the report on the lift station at Rancho Manana was completed – in a matter of days.
The resolution was passed by roll call, 5-1, with Morris dissenting.
