Pinal County unveils parks, open-space plan

Pinal County officials have developed a plan to preserve open space, parks and trails. On Thursday, the Pinal County Open Space and Trails Master Plan was unveiled at a day-long Pinal County Outdoors Summit.

GRAPHIC: Pinal County Open Space and Trails Master Plan

The Pinal County Board of Supervisors approved the plan at its meeting last week. This effort began in 2006.

“As residents, stakeholders and land managers, we make daily choices about developing communities,” said Kent Taylor, a Pinal County senior planner.

“Open space, parks and trails are an important part of that,” he said.

The plan aims to preserve a variety of “treasures” in Pinal County while expanding recreation opportunities, County Manager Terry Doolittle said.

Pinal County’s largest landowner, the Arizona Land Department, has land slated for development, but Doolittle said it is important to have state land reform so some of that land can be preserved.

District 3 Supervisor David Snider said they are also emphasizing that cities and towns work together with the county on a regional approach.

The county is also home to three national monuments, two national forests, five state parks, four wilderness areas, one state scenic trail and one national historic trail.

The plan will combine those assets with hundreds of miles of trails and proposed trails.

Taylor said the four main goals of the plan are to have a system of connected open spaces, develop a regional park system, connect cultural and natural resources within Pinal County, and create guidelines for planned developments to incorporate recreation opportunities.

“We’ve gotten through the easy part,” Taylor said of planning.

The difficult part comes in implementing the plan by creating policies and sticking to them, he said.

“If we work hard now the ultimate result will benefit generations to come.”