Building a Framework for Sustainable Development (Working Paper)

Legal Requirements and Strategies for the Development of Public Infrastructure on Arizona State Trust Lands

Author(s): Culp, Peter W., Susan K. Culp, and Dan Hunting
Publication Date: February 2011

57 pages; Inventory ID WP11PC1; English


Building a Framework for Sustainable Development: Legal Requirements and Strategies for the Development of Public Infrastructure on Arizona State Trust Lands	226 KB

Abstract

The Superstition Vistas state trust land parcel in northern Pinal County, Arizona presents an incomparable opportunity for sustainable master planning at a large scale. A significant factor in the ability of the Arizona State Land Department to fully realize the potential and value of this incredible 275-square mile property is the siting and investment of core infrastructure in advance of development. This includes a regionally connected transportation infrastructure, energy corridors, and open space amenities.

However, the Arizona State Land Department, unlike a traditional private landowner, is limited in its options for infrastructure siting and development. This working paper evaluates the current constitutional and statutory authorities of the Arizona State Land Department in siting key infrastructure, and explores several strategies for enhancing those authorities with tools that would provide the Department additional flexibility to incentivize infrastructure investment; and thereby create added value for the trust beneficiaries as well as contribute to a more sustainable development pattern in the Sun Corridor megaregion.