By Madison Cerro
CAVE CREEK-Concerned voices have been continuing to rise as the future of Harmony Hollow remains undetermined.
Harmony Hollow is a triangular piece of land that reaches the boundaries of Spur Cross Ranch in Cave Creek, Arizona. As of last year, Harmony Hollow has been on the market.
Nearly 20 years ago, the lush piece of Sonoran Desert known as Spur Cross Ranch was successfully preserved. There are those that believe pushing for preservation may also be the right direction for Harmony Hollow.
Gary Schmitt was president and founder of the Friends of Spur Cross coalition at this time. He was awarded the First Annual Trail Blazer Award for his efforts in preserving Spur Cross Ranch.
Harmony Hollow is 28 acres of desert, wildlife and history. Much like Spur Cross Ranch, Schmitt said that the land contains Native American pit houses, pueblos and ruins from long ago when the land was home to the Hohokam. “The whole thing is full of archeology,” said Schmitt.
Archeologists claim that the Hohokam were Hopi tribe’s ancestors, Schmitt said. During the movement to preserve Spur Cross Ranch, the Hopi tribe also played a role in moving toward the preservation.
Friends of Spur Cross disbanded over time after it served its function with Spur Cross Ranch, according to Schmitt. However, former members are working toward a goal of preserving land once again now that Harmony Hollow is for sale.
The asking price for Harmony Hollow is around $1.7 million. The town isn’t allowed to pay over appraisal—which stands at approximately $1.2 million. Harmony Hollow is over the appraised amount by about half a million dollars, said Schmitt.
Schmitt said he intends on pushing for preservation of Harmony Hollow—just as he did with Spur Cross Ranch. The preservation for Spur Cross Ranch was meant to stop any further building on the land and Schmitt hopes to see that happen once again.
There has been talk—according to Schmitt—and ideas of building a store or visitor center on the land once it is purchased. Schmitt does not agree with this. “I would rather it be a private preservation,” he said.
In Schmitt’s opinion, he would prefer that Harmony Hollow be acquired through a private purchase or private land trust—rather than the government.
As of now, nobody has stepped forward to donate money for the preservation, said Schmitt. He believes that a separate account set up for private donations would be beneficial.
Melissa Paxton is a former member of Friends of Spur Cross who has since moved out of state. She is also working toward the preservation of Harmony Hollow. Although she is no longer living in-state, she said that Cave Creek and Spur Cross still hold a special place in her heart.
As soon as Harmony Hollow hit the market, Paxton started making trips to Cave Creek. “I have been coming back out there ever since I heard about Harmony Hollow last year,” she said. During her visits, Paxton has tried to spread the word to the best of her ability.
For Paxton, the first step is making others aware and keeping people informed. She is the founder of a Facebook group known as “Harmony Hollow Preserve.” From miles away, Paxton has put in effort to involve the Cave Creek community albeit rather more difficult.
Since the start of the group, she has gained around 600 followers. “Because of social networking, I can do a lot from here,” said Paxton.
Paxton referred to Harmony Hollow as the “gateway to Spur Cross Ranch.” It is all an important riparian habitat, Paxton said.
For Paxton, she feels it is her duty to protect and preserve the land. “I’m not going to give up. I just can’t. I feel like I owe this to the planet,” she said.
Paxton sparked up an idea after a visit to Oklahoma City. She learned that they had a one-penny sales tax and raised millions to transform the city. The tax was renewed over three different mayors.
The idea led Paxton to suggest a similar tax in order to preserve Harmony Hollow. However, she was quickly reminded and alerted to the fact that a half-cent sales tax was implemented for the preservation of Spur Cross Ranch.
The half-cent tax is still implemented in Cave Creek, however, it is no longer used primarily for preservation, said Paxton. She is looking to convince Cave Creek to redirect this tax for the purposes of preservation.
According to Paxton, she believes that the sales tax would take only three to five years to raise the money needed to preserve Harmony Hollow. “If the land trust cannot pay more than appraised value, then there are other ways,” she said.
To have people write to the council or do a petition to put half-cent sales tax toward preservation would be steps in moving toward preserving Harmony Hollow, Paxton said. “The only solution is to raise the money and pay the cost.”
Preservation is possible, said Paxton. “The work we did 20 years ago still matters. We preserved Spur Cross, so I don’t see why we wouldn’t be able to do this.”
Tom Augherton was the former mayor of Cave Creek who played a large role during the preservation movement involving Spur Cross Ranch.
According to Augherton, Cave Creek was envisioned to be rural-based. He said that in the early 1990s, Cave Creek was unique in that a large amount of acreage was required around each new house as to not remove too much desert. `
During the Spur Cross Ranch movement, Augherton said, “We were a group of neighbors and citizens that knew that if we were not successful that all that property today would be a group of golf courses, hotels, convention centers and entertainment centers.” At that time, the motivation came from the fear of the size of the proposed development project, said Augherton.
Now, it is rare to go up against a major developmental project and succeed, Augherton said, “Preservation today has never been more difficult. Harmony Hollow is a test of what can be done creatively.”
According to Augherton, people did not want to see an urban use of Spur Cross Ranch and believes residents will feel similarly toward Harmony Hollow as more people become aware.
Augherton refers to Harmony Hollow as the front door to Tonto National Forest. According to American Southwest, Tonto National Forest is close to 3 million acres—the largest of the six national forests in Arizona.
Augherton warned that if new buildings and establishments are built on the land, it may disrupt or destroy a portion of the preserved desert that Harmony Hollow borders. “If Harmony Hollow turns multi-family, or the land is used for a resort destination or entertainment area, it will impact the visitor experience at Spur Cross Ranch and the Tonto National Forest,” he said.
These lands have scenic corridor value. If the timing and ability to buy the land at appraised value is not achieved now, then those parcels will be lost for all time as well as their current desert conditions, said Augherton.
Like Paxton, Augherton suggested the idea of redirecting the half-cent sales tax back to its original purpose as well.
The half-cent sales tax was dedicated to the operations and maintenance—otherwise known as the O and M—of Spur Cross Ranch, Augherton said.
The town council cannot restrict or obligate the members who come after them. The later town council decided to use that tax in different ways and it was no longer specifically dedicated to the intention of maintaining Spur Cross Ranch, according to Augherton.
For Augherton, the best course of action is getting the coalition together, involving the state as they had 20 years ago and targeting additional monies that go beyond the appraised value. He said, “It is not just a battle for preservation, it’s a battle for the integrity of the original Spur Cross Ranch.”
