Our Opinion State property slipping away as land reform collapses again
Source: Tuscon Citizen
April 02, 2008
The issues surrounding state trust land are complex and difficult to grasp.
But this much is clear and easy to explain: Unless substantive changes are made to this 96-year-old system, most open land surrounding Arizona cities and towns will be developed. Little will be conserved.
The latest legislative developments give us no reason for optimism. Gov. Janet Napolitano's announced efforts to reach compromise and consensus have come apart in the Legislature.
A move back to the table is needed.
To understand state trust land, it is necessary to look back at 1912, the year Arizona gained statehood. As a kind of "welcome to the union" gift, the federal government gave state government about 10 million acres.
The land was to be sold as needed, with proceeds benefiting schools, prisons and other essential services.
Today, about 9.2 million acres remain in state ownership. But with Arizona one of the nation's fastest-growing states, the demand for developable land is insatiable.
The state constitution and Arizona's agreement with the feds require trust land be sold to the highest bidder. No provision was made to set aside land for preservation because in 1912, no one imagined that more than 6 million people would be here.
Several attempts have been made to craft an agreement palatable to voters, who must approve constitutional changes. But splintered views have made it difficult to build support.
That was supposed to change this year. Napolitano launched a bipartisan effort to reform trust land regulations. The effort collapsed, and there again is talk of taking a measure to the ballot without broad backing.
Change is essential. Conservation must be an equally important use of state trust land, a use that would probably increase the value of adjacent trust land sold for development.
Cities and counties cannot compete with profit-driven developers when it comes to bidding for land. One need look only at Tucson's West Side where Tumamoc Hill, which is trust land, could be sold for development.
Since 1903, Tumamoc Hill has been a living laboratory for desert researchers, housing the University of Arizona Desert Laboratory. If the state Land Department were to sell the property, developers of high-priced homes would be able to outbid the city, county or others who want this unique resource preserved.
Some trust land is suited to development. But some must be saved.
When state trust land is gone, it is gone, and we as Arizonans will have lost the only opportunity we have to make it possible to preserve these special places of our history.
The Legislature must do the difficult work to agree on a plan to reform state-owned trust land.
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