- An Italian company’s plans for a large development near the South Rim of the Grand Canyon have hit a roadblock.
An Italian company’s plans for a large development near the South Rim of the Grand Canyon have hit a roadblock. On Friday, the U.S. Forest Service refused to grant an easement across some six miles of the Kaibab National Forest to allow the Stilo Group to construct 2,100 housing units, hotels, restaurants, and a dude ranch on a 40-acre inholding. The tiny town of Tusayan had applied for the road and utility easement, saying the development would bring jobs and create a place for affordable housing. But in a letter to the town’s mayor, Forest Supervisor Heather Provencio wrote that the project “could substantially and adversely affect Tribal lands and the Grand Canyon National Park.” The agency received thousands of individual and form letters in opposition as well as petitions with more than 100,000 signatures. Concerns included air pollution, noise, effects on wildlife, and the potential to dry up an aquifer. The National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had also expressed concerns. Environmental groups hailed the decision, which means the developer will have to abandon plans or try to build off-grid. However, a different, $1 billion development proposal for a tram on Navajo land at the east end of the park is still under consideration.
