Kudos to Yuma County for protecting agriculture land
Yuma County sure has had its share of crazy weather this year, not that I am complaining about the cool snap! The wheat, Sudan grass, cotton and melons should be happy and growing rapidly.
Kudos again to the Yuma County Board of Supervisors for voting to revert zonings on parcels within the county that have missed their deadlines for development and supporting the County Planning and Zoning department and commissioners.
Over the years, particularly early in the zoning practices, there were many parcels that were speculatively rezoned to enhance the sales potential. In most cases, there were no plans to utilize the property immediately but was done to attract developers.
It is great that lands are returned to the underlying agricultural zoning and having developers go through the entire planning process to ensure quality projects.
With the pressures on Yuma County from outside interest who have designs on our water, good planning and zoning practices and developments will demonstrate the community’s wise use and management of our natural resources.
The protection of our prime and unique farmlands is critical to the economy of Yuma County. The prime farmland soils often have engineering properties that make it great farmland but poor development land. Soils that shrink and swell like a sponge can crack walls and foundations; some soils are too coarse or fine to utilize for building materials; other soils are poor choices for excavations and foundations.
The soils and engineering information is available to the public from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and can be accessed through WEB Soil Survey.
Because Arizona is noted for an abundance of sunlight, it has become a target of the solar industry for development of solar fields. Putting in solar collectors seems like a relatively harmless activity to the neighboring areas, but there can be problems and community concerns.
While not many jobs are usually connected with the operating of completed solar facilities, during construction there is road building, ground disturbance, disruption of drainage patterns and dust production.
Depending on the type of solar panels used, they can create a great deal of runoff during storm events. If not planned for and engineered to keep the water on the property, damage can be created to neighboring properties. Where solar fields are adjacent to homes, the water produced during monsoon storms can create flooding.
According to measurements, the ambient air temperature around solar fields can be 10 to 15 degrees hotter than surrounding areas. The increased temperatures can have negative impacts in a developed area.
Investing in a home or property is a major event for most people. It makes good sense to get all the available facts about soils, roads, access, water availability, access to power, planning and zoning codes and permitted uses and what other potential types of establishments are permitted on adjacent vacant lands. Spring is the time of year when many families move from one area to another. Proper planning can prevent unexpected expenses and problems.
Yuma County and our agricultural industry are unique. It would be difficult to find more efficient irrigation, greater crop production and more committed managers of the natural resources than the growers in Yuma County. Proper planning will keep Yuma County prosperous.