OVERVIEW:
The Maricopa County Parks and Recreation Department began the formal process to notify park visitors and the surrounding community that Estrella Mountain Regional Park was considering an amendment to the park’s Master Plan. To date, the following steps have occurred:
- A public meeting was hosted on August 3, 2022, to provide park visitors with information on the proposed expansion of the existing Tres Rios Golf Course.
- A survey was developed to gather feedback from park visitors. The survey was open for a 30-day public review and comment period.
- Staff reviewed and organized all public comments collected in the survey.
- Survey Highlights:
- Overall, do you support the slated purpose and need for this project?
- Overall, do you support the expansion of the Tres Rios Golf Course as presented?
- Maricopa County Parks and Recreation Department staff have evaluated the proposed options, and it is their recommendation that Estrella Mountain Regional Park’s 2016 Master Plan be amended for the project. This would allow for the 18-hole golf course expansion by the Junior National Foundation. The department is committed to having a net zero loss on the trail reroutes and increasing the overall trail mileage to accommodate the Tres Rios Golf Course Project.
Park staff would like to thank ALL the members of the public who participated in the process and provided the department with valuable feedback. A copy of the results can be found below.
The department will continue working on the trail reroutes along with pursuing a ramped-up timeframe on the existing trail plan. This process includes the evaluation of requests from local clubs for additional access points.
NEXT STEPS:
- The proposed Estrella Mountain Regional Park Master Plan Amendment and public comments will be presented to the Maricopa County Parks and Recreation Commission on Tuesday, November 15, 2022. This will happen at a public meeting hosted at Usery Mountain Regional Park at 10 am.
- Pending feedback from the Commission, this will determine whether or not the project is forwarded to the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors for consideration at the November 16, 2022, meeting.
Respectfully,
Maricopa County Parks Staff
EXCELL SPREADSHEET INSTRUCTIONS:
SURVEY INSTRUCTIONS:
The survey was sorted into FOUR categories:
- No Response Needed
- Parks
- Junior National, and
- Outside of Scope
The department did not respond to the comments for No Response Needed or Outside of Scope but THANK YOU for Your COMMENTS. Comments were then divided into two categories for a response - Parks, Junior National, and Combined.
During the comment review, staff also noticed clusters of prevalent sub-topics. These are as follows:
- Design
- Environmental
- Fees
- General
- Restaurant
- Traffic
- Trails
- Water
Updated: November 7, 2022, at 2:45 pm
ESTRELLA MOUNTAIN REGIONAL PARK: PROPOSED MASTER PLAN AMENDMENT
TOPIC: Junior National Foundation - Expansion of existing Tres Rios Golf Course.
PURPOSE: To provide golf programs for underserved youth in the Maricopa County communities.
REASON: Expose at-risk youth to experiences and opportunities they may not have access to; this includes developing skills in operating a business.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Junior National Foundation, a non-profit organization, will invest approximately $24 million to renovate the existing Tres Rios Golf Course and build a new course:
• New 18-hole championship golf course
• 5,000 square foot Junior Resource Center
• Expand or new Golf Maintenance facility
• New and remodeled golf course restrooms
• 20,000 square foot new clubhouse with underground cart storage
IMPACTS: Due to the proposed expansion, Parks may need to reroute several trails.
SURVEY LINK: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/EMRPMasterPlanUpdate
GRAPHICS: To view an enlarged version of the map(s), please click on the map. The maps are large and may take a couple of moments to launch. The maps are .pdf documents so you will need to have the appropriate software to launch them.
Junior National Championship Golf Course - Exhibit A
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Junior National Championship Golf Course - Exhibit B
MASTER PLAN PROPOSED AMENDMENT TIMELINE:
- July 13, 2022 – Post for public review and comments – 30-day review period
- August 3, 2022, @ 5:30 pm – In-Person Public Meeting @ Estrella Regional Park Nature Center
- Presentation by Junior National Foundation
- August 11, 2022 – Close of public review and comment period
- Update: November 15, 2022 (TENTATIVE - Date subject to change. Page will be updated if changes are made.) – Junior National Foundation presentation to the Park Commission
- Update: November 16, 2022 (TENTATIVE) - Board of Supervisor Formal Meeting