Former mine site headed for redevelopment
by Brian DiTullio

CAVE CREEK – The future of a former gold mine adjacent to Spur Cross Ranch Conservation Area looks to be filled with people and life.

Scott Mars, a representative of HDR Engineering, gave a presentation at last week’s Cave Creek Town Council meeting, showing the conceptual design for redevelopment of the former Phoenix Mine site.

The property, which covers 38 acres, would include a parking area, public restrooms, a 300‑seat amphitheater, a museum and other amenities. The amphitheater would be constructed using the rock and natural materials of the area.

Councilman Tom McGuire was interested in retaining the “natural” look of the area, expressing his desire to keep as much of the exposed boulders on site, and above ground, as possible. “I’m a rock person,” he said.

Although no traffic study was performed as part of the initial plan, Mars related that a traffic flow and circulation study was done for public safety issues, as the site is envisioned to be an educational destination one day.

“Lots of educational options exist here,” he said.

Mars stressed the site plan at this time is purely conceptual and that the orientation and placement of buildings could change, once actual planning and engineering begins.

Three public meetings were held on redevelopment of the property prior to the presentation, and Mars noted the public was very curious about the site and contributed several ideas.

“The public wanted the area to be compatible with the surrounding Sonoran Desert,” he stated. “They wanted it to be a recreational opportunity for horseback riding, hiking and biking.”

Keeping with that concept, Mars added the site could become a “gateway” to the Spur Cross conservation area. “People could just park (at the mine site) and leave their cars behind,” he said.

Mayor Vincent Francia agreed with Mars’ statement, saying, “To be able to put it to use for the preserve area is wonderful.”

Construction could begin as early as the next fiscal year and would be done in phases. The project is estimated to cost $9 million, with an estimated completion date of 2014. The town would not be responsible for the entire $9 million, however, as Maricopa County and Cave Creek Museum, which is interested in moving to the site, would also be stakeholders in the venture.

“The town will have to take the plans, break it down and find sources of funding, but the other stakeholders will have to do that as well,” explained Mars.

The Phoenix Mine site was a gold mining operation that closed in the 1980s. The operation employed “heap leaching,” a form of chemical mining that resulted in the parcel being declared a “Brownfields Area,”  property contaminated by a hazardous substance.

The area was subsequently cleaned up through a federal Brownfields grant, and Town Engineer Wayne Anderson said the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality has given the okay for redevelopment to proceed.

“We got the testing done,” said Anderson.