Grand Canyon shopping mall and hotel plan pits developers against conservationists
Hotels, shopping malls and tons of homes aren’t typical Grand Canyon attractions, but a developer is hoping to make them one.
For years an Italian developer has wanted to build a “large-scale residential and resort development” in a town about two miles from the south entrance of Grand Canyon National Park. On Thursday, the Tusayan Town Council put him one step closer, according to Fronteras Desk.
The council’s vote of approval gives way for Stilo Development Group and the city to seek approval from the US Forest Service, Phoenix New Times reported.
“An Italian company has tinkered with its years-old plan to build a sprawling development on the doorstep of Grand Canyon National Park,” a news release from the Center for Biological Diversity said. “But the mega-project would be just as dangerous to water resources, wildlife and visitors. It would also flood the night skies of one of the nation’s most iconic national parks.”
Stilo Development Group has tried three times in six years to build on about 300 acres of land, according to Fronteras Desk. The land “serves as the gateway to the Grand Canyon,” it reported.
The land would then feature “high-end homes, malls and resorts a mile from Grand Canyon National Park’s boundary,” the Center for Biological Diversity said. It would include thousands of homes and hotel rooms, spas, shopping malls and restaurants.
This isn’t the first time the developer has tried to get its plans through. In 2016, the Forest Service rejected Tusayan’s original right-of-way application, saying it was not in the public interest, according to the Center for Biological Diversity.
In September, the city and Stilo submitted another application to the Forest Service, according to the Associated Press. The most recent application changes road locations and water lines, according to the Center for Biological Diversity.
“We have worked hard to make sure this proposal would result in appropriate development for our community and reduce visitor impacts on Grand Canyon National Park,” the developer wrote in a proposal’s cover letter.
Even with the changes, the plans concern conservation groups. People are worried that the changes would disturb wildlife, water resources and visitors.
“For 20 years the public has been saying no to Stilo’s terrible development proposals, and this is more of the same,” Alicyn Gitlin, conservation coordinator for the Sierra Club’s Grand Canyon Chapter, said in a news release. “This proposal, which includes double the hotel room capacity of the entire town of Williams and thousands of new vacation homes, will drain water supplies while destroying the forest.”
There is also worry about how the development would stress the park’s infrastructure and add light pollution, traffic and air pollution.
“Arizona is the Grand Canyon State, not the Mega-mall State,” Robin Silver, a cofounder of the Center for Biological Diversity, said in the news release. “It’s time for Tusayan’s council members to show some courage and remember where they’re from. They must stand up and protect Arizona’s crown jewel for future generations.”
This story was originally published January 24, 2020 at 6:56 PM with the headline "Grand Canyon shopping mall and hotel plan pits developers against conservationists."