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 The plan submitted by the town of Tusayan, a community of about
600 residents on the outskirts of Arizona’s most famous national
park, called for shops, restaurants, hotels and more than 2,000
homes on acreage near the South Rim.
But the development, which was to include 3 million square feet of
commercial space, was contingent on the U.S. Forest Service agreeing
to road upgrades and utility installations on national forest land
adjoining the park.
In a letter delivered to Tusayan on Friday, Kaibab National Forest
Supervisor Heather Provencio said the application for those
improvements had failed to meet minimal requirements under the
forest’s overall mandate to protect the adjacent national park and
tribal lands.
Eric Duthie, town manager of Tusayan, said the decision took the
community and its development partners by surprise and dealt a
severe blow to attempts to provide much-needed additional housing.
"The Forest Service made the decision unilaterally. It’s quite
shocking and it's just not fair," he said.
Environmental groups that had opposed the development hailed the
decision for protecting natural and water resources.
“This is a great day for Grand Canyon National Park, and those who
love its stunning vistas, abundant wildlife and rich cultural
heritage,” said Ted Zukowski, attorney for Earthjustice, a
non-profit environmental law group. The development plan ignited
heated debate when the town and its Italian partners in 2014 asked
federal land managers for permission to construct paved roads and
related infrastructure near a World Heritage Site valued for its
famed multi-hued canyons sculpted over millions of years by water
and wind erosion.
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Provencio said in her letter that the proposed project had generated
tens of thousands of public comments, mostly in opposition.
“I have determined that the Tusayan proposal is deeply
controversial, is opposed by local and national communities, would
stress local and park infrastructure, and have untold impacts to the
surrounding tribal and national park lands,” she said.
Provencio added that the freshwater drinking system now serving the
Grand Canyon was “marginally capable” of meeting current needs and
would be unable to absorb additional ones tied to the development.
(Reporting by Laura Zuckerman from Salmon, Idaho; Editing by Dan
Whitcomb, David Gregorio and Nick Macfie)
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