U.S. land managers reject development near Grand Canyon

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

World | Fri Mar 4, 2016 6:40pm EST

U.S. land managers reject development near Grand Canyon

U.S. land managers on Friday rejected a plan that could have opened the way for an urban development near the Grand Canyon’s celebrated South Rim, a surprise decision that was decried by developers and other supporters of the plan but praised by foes including environmental groups.

The plan submitted by Tusayan, a community of about 600 residents on the outskirts of Arizona’s most famous national park, would have built shops, restaurants, hotels and thousands of homes on acreage near the South Rim that could only be developed if the surrounding national forest agreed to road upgrades and utility installation.

In a letter submitted to Tusayan on Friday, the Kaibab National Forest said the application for those improvements had failed to meet minimal requirements that mesh with the forest’s overall mandate to prevent activities that might substantially or adversely affect the park and tribal lands.

Eric Duthie, town manager of Tusayan, said the decision took the community and its development partners by surprise and was a severe blow to a plan that would have provided needed housing for locals.

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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-arizona-grandcanyon-idUSKCN0W62QU

[haikugal]

1. Good news!!

[awoke_in_2003]

2. Good

I swear, they don't want us to have anything nice. They want to put up generic neighborhoods with the requisite Home Despot, Walmart, and chain restaurants everywhere.

[De Leonist]

3. That's progress don'cha know!

They also don't want us to remember that something exists outside of consumer culture.

Heaven forbid people find something more interesting than all those little do-hickeys they want us to buy.

[awoke_in_2003]

4. I just don't get it

I grew up in Cleveland in the 80s- it had a rich ethnic diversity. On Fridays I could get pierogis, I love a good Polish Boy. I couldn't swing a dead cat without hitting a great pizza joint. These differences used to be celebrated.