Crossroads Village Development

Commercial and institutional uses occupy less than one percent of NE Santa Cruz County, yet the economic and social life of our area centers around the Sonoita Crossroads, and to a lesser extent, "downtown" Elgin. These policies will guide the development of a small mixed-use village at the Sonoita Crossroads. The color plate (that will display in an adjoining browser window) provides one view of what the result might be. It also suggests a list of design principles that reflect the policies recommended here.

Policy 12. Crossroads Village Infrastructure.

Implementation of the Crossroads Village concept will require central sewerage and a central water system capable of providing fire flows for commercial uses.

our community's goal

Investigate the feasibility of central sewerage and water serving the Crossroads Village. Require that development in the Crossroads Village provide adequate on-site infrastructure and make a fair proportional contribution to the provision or improvement of off-site facilities that serve the project.

implementation strategies



  1. The Sonoita Crossroads Community Forum (SCCF) and Sonoita-Elgin Chamber of Commerce (Chamber) should seek funding to study the feasibility of installing central sewerage and a fire fighting water supply at the Sonoita Crossroads. This can be done by making a presentation to the Arizona Rural Infrastructure Committee Funding could be routed through Santa Cruz County. Additional strategies, possibly including the formation of a special improvement district, as provided by Arizona law (see ARS §48-701, et seq or ARS 48-901, et seq) should be adopted to reflect the results of the feasibility study,

  2. Developers working in the Crossroads Village should be required to provide adequate on-site facilities. The regulations designed to implement this plan should also provide a basis for negotiating off-site infrastructure improvements. Improvements in the Crossroads Village should be consistent with these policies, including the design principles illustrated on the color plate that follows this page. Detailed circulation and drainage plans will be needed, but can await the results of the utilities feasibility study.

Policy 13. Highways as Main Streets

The rapid increase in traffic volumes in NE Santa Cruz County during the past few years is documented on page 14 and in Appendix B. The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) will focus on the immediate objective of moving traffic through the Sonoita Crossroads as efficiently as possible, unless we make it clear that the desirable future is one in which the highways function as the "Main Streets" of a village.

our community's goal

Work with the ADOT to ensure that State Routes 82 and 83 are treated as village "Main Streets" where they pass through the Sonoita Crossroads, rather than as high speed rural arterials.

implementation strategies



  1. Santa Cruz County, SCCF, the Southern Arizona Grasslands Trust, the Chamber, and other organizations and individuals should play an active role in ensuring that ADOT's planning for State Highways 82 and 83 is consistent with this plan. ADOT's planning should:

Policy 14. Crossroads Village Open Space

The importance of open space in the future quality of life and prosperity in NE Santa Cruz County is discussed in Policy 6.

our community's goal

Maintain open space around and within the Crossroads Village. The continuing prosperity of the Crossroads Village depends on the continued appeal of the surrounding open spaces, including a visible connection with the grasslands and mountains.

implementation strategies



  1. Lands needed to protect views and channel development of the Crossroads Village have been included in the Open Space Framework established by Policy 6. That policy calls for acquisition of conservation easements or, where easements cannot be acquired, using the transfer of development rights and open space development patterns to protect open space. Provision of central utilities in the Crossroads Village (see Policy 12) could be used to provide a strong incentive for the transfer of development rights away from lands within the Open Space Framework.

  2. Open space should also be integrated into the Crossroads Village, where it can serve many functions including temporary storage and infiltration of surface runoff, buffering between different intensities of use, and outdoor recreation.

  3. Native plant species and communities should be featured in the open space areas and other landscaping within the Crossroads Village.

Policy 15. Housing at the Crossroads Village

The local business people who participated in the Commercial Working Group made it clear that there is a need for affordable employee housing in the Crossroads Village.

our community's goal

Encourage construction of housing that is affordable to small business owners and employees in the Crossroads Village. Use performance standards to ensure land use compatibility as the Crossroads Village develops.

implementation strategies



  1. Installing central utilities in the Crossroads Village should make it possible to increase density enough to build housing that is more affordable to local working people.

  2. Central utilities in the Crossroads Village would also stimulate demand for higher density market rate housing. Developers should be encouraged to use this demand to provide more affordable housing or to protect open space by transferring development rights from lands within the Open Space Framework to sites in the village.

  3. The development regulations designed to implement this plan will ensure an appropriate, compatible mix of commercial uses and housing.

Policy 16. Expansion of the Crossroads Village

Expansion of the Crossroads Village should proceed only via revision of this plan, with full public involvement.



Next: Water

Return to the index


Sonoita Crossroads Community Forum
P.O. Box 1274
Sonoita, AZ 85637

© 2000 Sonoita Crossroads Community Forum