Tusayan expects construction to start soon on the first batch of affordable housing units on the Ten X site but there are some challenges. There are only ten units planned on an eight acre parcel of land. That’s not very many considering the size of the property.

One of the reasons is drainage and flood plain issues. Much of the site is in a flood plain. While there is land outside the flood plain, it’s rocky which precludes the use of septic tanks. The plan is to create a ‘wetlands’ using treated sewage.

Because there is no sewer or septic service and because of the small scope of the project, there is far less paperwork involved in terms of approval from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality.

Zoning at this point is not an issue as the land is zoned for manufactured mobile homes.

Sewage isn’t the only problem. Getting water to the project involves trucking it in. At this point there is no way the town can drill wells.

The town is working quickly to get this project done fearing the Obama administration will grant monument status to the area surrounding the Grand Canyon National Park. The town is also working to get some site approval for the Kotzin site because of that situation.

Those fears may be unfounded. First of all monument status would still keep the land under the jurisdiction of the Forest Service. That’s the thrust of Congressman Raul Grijalva’s bill. Here is a link.

https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/3882/text

The notion that monument status would scuttle Tusayan housing or Stilo’s controversial development plans is also questionable. Dr. Robin Silver, Co-Founder of the Center for Biological Diversity, is an advocate for monument status but he disputes claims that monument status has the power to halt housing, “The claim that creation of a monument would preclude housing on private lands is a lie.” And he says monument status does not impact Stilo’s controversial plans for three million square feet of commercial space. Silver said, “Development on Kotzin and Ten-X are constrained because their development harms the Grand Canyon and waters in the area.  This will not change whether or not a monument is designated.”