The restoration and revitalization of Cool Springs Camp between Kingman and Oatman, Ariz., will continue after the county’s Planning and Zoning Commission approved the historic Route 66 site’s rezoning, reports the Kingman Daily Miner.
Sounds like the commission is enthusiastic about owner Ned Leutchner’s efforts:
Commissioner Joe Bibich said he thought the project was great.
Commissioner Syd Ervin said he had been following the project and was very excited about it.
Jim Cannellis said he and the Central Sacramento Area Plan Committee supported the project “110 percent.”
A few predicted gloom and doom when the zoning problem arose. But, having talked to Leutchner shortly after learning about the situation, I was firmly convinced he would find a way to rectify the situation. And he did.
UPDATE: I received this e-mail message from Leutchner:
The only hold-up now is that we have to wait for the County Board of Commissioners to approve the recommendation from the Zoning Board. That meeting will be held on Jan 8, 2008. If the County board approves us, then there is a mandatory 30-day waiting period to then operate and have the zoning change become effective.
In the meantime, we were told that we can have visitors, but not operate business as usual. So if Route 66 travellers stop by , and see the lights on, they are welcome to stop in. The manager, Betsy Miller, is frequently there and more than accommodating.
That’s excellent news. I was hopeful, and expected, that this was more a matter of the county getting it’s records to straight, and not a heavy handed move to undo the progress that had been made at this site.
Good to hear. I’d wondered what possible grounds the county could have for denying zoning to a business that’s been around as long as Cool Springs Camp. Granted, it was closed (and reduced to rubble) for several years, but it’s not like having Cool Springs Camp in that location was unprecedented. Dropping a Walgreens into the middle of a quiet subdivision would be reason to get wound up about zoning. Reopening a long-shuttered business on a road long known for commerce is hardly shocking or inappropriate land use.