by Mesa Mayor Keno Hawker
March, 2006

Urban sprawl is nothing new to Arizona. In fact, leapfrog development seems to have become the norm, rather than the exception. It’s a pattern playing out in cities across the country, as developers build large subdivisions in areas that lack adequate infrastructure. But, the negative ramifications extend far beyond the new development – clogging roads in neighboring communities that unwittingly become little more than "pass-through" cities. Too few regional job centers simply leave subdivision residents with no choice but to commute, further compounding traffic and air quality problems.

It is this scenario, played out over and over again, that has prompted some cities and the state of Florida to impose concurrent development requirements. Simply put, concurrent development requirements (usually in the form of an Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance) dictate that new, large-scale developments not be approved unless it is determined that the necessary infrastructure, including roads, public transportation facilities, sewer and water service, schools and public safety facilities, are either already in place or come online concurrently with the development.

Measures such as this are already in place in Florida, Washington, Maryland, New Hampshire and Minnesota. Newly elected Virginia Gov. Timothy Kaine announced two weeks ago at his first General Assembly address that he will urge the passage of a law that will stop new development if roads are not adequate. Clearly, the problem is widespread.

With a projected state population of more than 16 million by the year 2050, we must find a way to address leapfrog development and the tremendous burden it continues to place on Arizona’s existing infrastructure. If there are better tools we can employ to more adequately prepare the region for new growth without sacrificing our quality of life, we must identify them. After all, if we can require developers to secure a 100-year water supply, shouldn’t we also ensure they at least have adequate roads for their residents to drive on?

The bottom line is, despite the fact that Prop 400 funding will address some future growth, with rising construction costs and no plan from the state to index the gas tax to match inflation, we are careening head-on into the train wreck that is leapfrog development. We must act now to secure an adequate transportation infrastructure for future generations. This is why I am pleased that the issue of leapfrog development will be a session topic at the Regional Planning Dialogue with other Councils of Government March 23-24. Although MAG has examined the issue of concurrent development in the past, it is clearly a statewide issue and it is time to look at it again.