The Arizona Sustainable Growth and Preservation Plan

By Paul Johnson

While growth has created economic opportunities for some Arizonans, left unchecked and uncontrolled, unplanned growth has also created strains on our current infrastructure, our school districts, and is beginning to erode our quality of life standards. --- Traffic, air quality, over-crowded schools, and crime are all affected by unplanned growth.

• Empower Local Communities
• Earmark revenues generated through the sale of State land for smaller class sizes and increasing teacher's pay
• Set aside 10% of all State Trust Land (approximately 940,0000 acres) for Conservation and Urban Open Spaces

Re-institute counties' ability to create protective overlays. Governor Hull, at the behest of the real estate and developer lobby, signed into law legislation taking from local governments a key tool in effectively managing urban sprawl. Paul Johnson, on the other hand, understands that cities and counties must be given the tools to combat unplanned and uncontrolled growth. The Paul Johnson Plan will give counties the ability to create protective overlays, and ordinances aimed at protecting endangered hillsides, washes and riparian zones.

Paying the Fair Share of Cost of Growth. Arizona's taxpayers are currently subsidizing developer profits. Urban sprawl on the fringes of our state's urban areas is placing significant fiscal strains on local governments and their taxpayers. Paul Johnson will give counties the ability to assess impact fees on new developments to pay for the increased strain on the education system, transportation, and to ensure appropriate open spaces that are reasonably related to the cost of growth.

Restrict " Wildcat" sub-dividing. Wildcat subdividing is a major contributor to urban sprawl. Cities and Counties must be given the ability to regulate lot splits in order to minimize the impact on traffic congestion, air quality, and the increased pressure on the middle class tax base.

Earmark State Land Department revenues for smaller classes and increased teacher pay Paul Johnson will ban once and for all the legislature's practice of using money generated from school lands to reduce contributions of other state tax dollars for education. Paul Johnson will earmark every cent raised from the state land trust to reduce the number of children in each classroom and increase teacher's pay.

Set Aside 10% of All State Trust Land for Conservation and Urban Open Spaces

As Governor, Paul Johnson will ask the public to amend the State Constitution to change the enabling clause to allow the state to set aside state land for conservation and preservation purposes.

Under Paul Johnson, the state will work with the scientific and conservation community to map and preserve core habitat reserves and linkage corridors for native wildlife and protection of native habitat. The state will protect washes, watersheds, scenic resources, signature lands, riparian areas and wildlife dependent on these corridors.

Under Hull's program, taxpayers are asked to purchase state land they already own. In comparison, Paul Johnson's Plan is not just fiscally responsible but will preserve close to four times more than the Governor's "Growing Smarter" scheme.

Better Manage our State Resources

Paul Johnson's Plan will require the State Land Department to work with local municipalities to create ten (10) year growth management plans to assure that state land released for public sale is not counter-productive to local attempts to intelligently manage growth.

Paul Johnson recognizes some of the greatest open space is under private sector ownership used for ranching. Paul Johnson will establish long term grazing rights through fair market value to be offset by ranchers who provide stewardship and maintenance over riparian areas. Long-term grazing rights would also be awarded to those ranchers who provide conservation easements on their private sector land.