ELFRIDA — Over the past four months, Cochise County Planning and Zoning staff have held workshops around the county to get an idea of what the residents want their county to look like in 2020.

They have been to every corner of the county and parts in-between. No matter where they go, there are three things that the 400 people who have attended the meetings place at the top of the list and those are: Preserve the rural character of the county, protect the water supply and protect private property rights.

“The goal of the process is to obtain citizen input on where and how we want to accommodate this growth. The results will be used to update the adopted Comprehensive Plan that guides staff, the Planning and Zoning Commission and elected officials in decision-making when confronted with new land-use proposals,” said Judy Anderson, planning director. “How to preserve a positive community character as land uses change and develop is a complex question. To understand the perspectives of area residents on changing landscapes helps so that we can effectively evaluate land use proposals,”

In a workshop held Wednesday night, planner Mike Turisk said the county has 6,216 square miles, most of which is privately owned and zoned RU-4 (one single family residence on a four-acre lot).

“Around 85 percent of the privately owned land is RU-4,” he said. “People in the county want managed growth, and most say the rural atmosphere is very important to them.”

Most of those attending the Elfrida meeting, feel the area will see a big change with the new port of entry opening in Douglas over the next few years and hope that the development that is sure to come with it will be slow and well-managed. They expect to see more traffic with an improved Highway 191 and fear their taxes will rise as development comes. Most want to see commercial development held to the Highway 191 corridor.

Harvey Allen, Sue Makin and Sandy Dietering discussed the impact the new port would have and the possible impact of mining if it resumes in Courtland. They see housing demands and water as big issues. They also want to keep agriculture alive and flourishing in the Mid-Sulphur Springs Valley. They do not want noise and light pollution, overpopulation, nor do they want to see Elfrida incorporate and become its own city providing services that would increase taxes.

At another table, James Guzz and Robyn Gibbons were talking in their group about encouraging economic development of environmentally-friendly industries to bring jobs to the area and even county support of work-at-home computer jobs. They also would like to see the building codes on residential homes in RU-4 repealed.

The group thought there should be an active water management area in the Mid-Sulfur Springs Valley, similar to the Upper San Pedro Watershed District, to preserve the aquifer.

As the groups gave their reports, all cited more people, more traffic, more accidents and more noise as problems, as well as strains on existing roads, law enforcement and water supplies if Highway 191 is developed.

County Recorder Christine Rhodes and another woman, Anita Savino, though not Elfrida residents, gave their opinions of what they’d like to see in the county’s future.

They determined that the communities needed a voice in planning decisions and what is derived from the workshops is a good starting point. Another thing, or maybe 21,000 things, on their minds are the Sandhill Cranes that winter in the Elfrida/McNeal area every year, drawing thousands of bird-watchers and tourists. They would like to see Whitewater Draw, where the birds call home, and the surrounding territory protected. They also do not want to see access to public lands blocked by private development as has been occurring in parts of the county.

Once all the information from the public meetings is gathered, it will be summarized and passed on to the Planning and Zoning Commission and then the county Board of Supervisors. The end result could be a revision of the County Comprehensive Plan, the development of area plans in those communities where none exists now and changes to existing area plans, workshop facilitator Lynn Slagle added.

“This can be a springboard to update the County Comprehensive Plan and even community plans,” Turisk said. “We may be taking the pulse of the county residents every five years.”