Prescott launches collaborative master plan for historic rodeo grounds, addresses $15-50M infrastructure crisis

Prescott Embraces "Reset" on Rodeo Grounds, Acknowledges Leadership Void and Commits to Collaborative Master Planning

City Manager Don Kimell and Deputy City Manager Mike Morris appeared in an informal presentation at the Freeman building on the rodeo grounds to address the future of the historic property and acknowledge years of deferred maintenance, community divisiveness, and the city's failure to lead on a promised master plan. The event, while not a formal council vote, represents a significant pivot in municipal governance: explicit accountability for past inaction and a commitment to a phased, community-driven redevelopment of one of Prescott's most symbolically important and functionally challenged assets.

The rodeo grounds, in continuous use since 1913 and owned by the city since 2007, face an estimated $15–50 million infrastructure crisis, neighborhood friction over traffic and noise, and competing demands from multiple tenants, including the rodeo, the Arizona Extension Office, the auto club, and the fair. The city's strategy—developed over recent months and now in its initial implementation phase—aims to convert past tension into consensus through a structured steering committee, consultant-led master planning, public stakeholder meetings, and eventually city council approval and phased capital improvement.

Key Speeches

"I feel bad that there's been tension and there's been some divisiveness in the community over what's going to happen with this property and perhaps the city hasn't been as proactive as we should have been. Um, you know, it's our property and it's our opportunity to lead and we need to step up to that. So now we're trying to fix that." — City Manager Don Kimell

"Everyone loves rodeo. The neighborhood says they love the rodeo. They come, they participate in it, they're they're involved in it. And so, everyone loves rodeo. The question was just what is this next for the rodeo? And so I think the unknown and the fact that as you said the city really wasn't involved in what's next for the rodeo. And so I think the uncertainty is really what gave angst to some folks in the community." — Deputy City Manager Mike Morris

"So making sure we're mitigating the impacts um and being clear on what the impacts are that you know concerts aren't really part of the plan um things like that as we get clearer and clear I think we'll have a better ability to [resolve tensions]. The neighborhood what are the other events the city would like to have here and so the answer is we're not sure um we would like to have some other things here but they have to be the right scale and size that fit amenities that are here and aren't an impact act on the community." — Deputy City Manager Mike Morris

Timeline

• 1888: Prescott Rodeo established on Prescott's west side.
• 1913: Rodeo relocated to current fairgrounds site.
• 1930s: All major infrastructure (water, sewer, power, grandstands, restrooms) constructed; remains in place, aging, and in disrepair.
• 2007: City acquires the property in a swap with county.
• 2022 (approximately 3 years ago): Rodeo organization develops independent master plan, proposing major expansion including large indoor facility; not aligned with current city vision.
• 2024–2025: State legislature allocates $15 million to rodeo grounds; funding status in limbo pending court ruling (decision imminent).
• Recent months: City management initiates collaborative reset; steering committee formed and convenes first meeting.
• Next 2–3 months: Steering committee develops consultant RFP.
• Fall 2025: Community stakeholder and public meetings begin.
• Early 2026 (target): Master plan approved by city council; implementation and CIP planning follow.

Opposition

Not formally documented in this presentation format, but persistent community concerns incorporated into the dialogue:

1. Traffic and parking impacts: Residential neighborhood, grown substantially since 1913, experiences congestion during rodeo and fair events; no formal parking or traffic management plan currently in place.
2. Sound and light pollution: Aging sound system and nighttime events cause nuisance to adjacent residential uses; no modern sound mitigation, buffering, or decorative screening exists.
3. Deferred maintenance affecting neighbors: Aging infrastructure and lack of modernization create environmental and aesthetic impacts on neighboring properties.
4. Uncertainty regarding future events: Community anxiety over what new events (notably, concerts) might be hosted, driving attendance surges and intensifying neighborhood impacts.
5. Lack of city leadership and transparency: Neighborhood representatives cited past city failure to lead master-planning effort and rodeo's independent planning as source of divisiveness.
6. Parking overflow onto residential streets: Existing events already force cars onto adjacent residential streets, denying on-street parking to residents.

Most compelling arguments: Deputy City Manager Morris acknowledged that neighborhood concerns are legitimate and grounded in modern planning standards: "The way property now is planned is way different than it used to be. So, the way a neighborhood's planned is way different it used to be. So, uh, to bring it up to today's standards, we ought to have some buffering of some kind around this property, whether it's green space or, you know, landscaping or, you know, some sort of decorative fencing, whatever it is."

Organized groups: Two neighborhood representatives on steering committee; broader neighborhood will be invited to formal community meeting once consultant is hired.

Support

Not formally documented, but stakeholders affirmed commitment to collaboration:

1. Rodeo organization: Willing to work with city and participate in master planning; representatives selected to steering committee; organization has demonstrated openness to neighborhood concerns in initial steering committee meeting.
2. Arizona Extension Office: Tenant on property; representative selected to steering committee; supportive of collaborative approach.
3. Auto club and fair operators: Affirmed as positive contributors; will be invited to stakeholder meetings.
4. City Council: Morris credited council leadership for "letting us step up and chase this."
5. State delegation: Behind-the-scenes legislative advocacy to secure the $15 million state appropriation.

Organized groups: None explicitly named, but rodeo board and extension office staff identified as stakeholder groups.

Project Details

• Location: Rodeo grounds / fairgrounds, Freeman building area, Prescott, Arizona.
• Current ownership: City of Prescott (acquired 2007).
• Historic significance: Rodeo in continuous operation since 1888 (original location) and 1913 (current location); rodeo marketed as "world's oldest rodeo."
• Current zoning: High-density residential (acknowledged as non-reflective of actual use or future plans).
• Proposed zoning: To be determined post-master-plan approval; recreational space zoning discussed as possibility, though city property may not require zoning change.
• Density / size: Not stated; property encompasses historic rodeo arena, grandstands, restrooms, supporting facilities, extension office space, auto club space, fair facilities.
• Primary infrastructure ages: All major systems dating to 1930s—water lines, sewer lines, power lines, storm water, grandstands, restroom capacity.
• Estimated infrastructure costs: $10–15 million for baseline modernization; overall project cost range $15–50 million (prior rodeo master plan: ~$45 million; current city vision likely lower).
• Tenants and users: Prescott Rodeo, Arizona Extension Office, auto club, county fair, college rodeos, City IT, and "various other events."
• Current maintenance responsibility: By default, has fallen on rodeo organization despite city ownership.

Vote Breakdown

No formal vote took place during this presentation. This was an informational and acknowledgment session by city management, not a council meeting or hearing requiring voting.

Outcome & Next Steps

Immediate (0–6 weeks):

• Steering committee (already convened once) will meet again in coming months to develop consultant RFP.
• City will solicit bids for master-plan consultant with expertise in rodeo operations, event planning, park design, landscape architecture, and infrastructure/utilities.

Short-term (6 months, Fall 2025):

• Consultant onboarded and begins process.
• Series of community stakeholder meetings held, including full neighborhood meeting, full rodeo board meeting, meetings with fair operators, auto club, extension office, and open public meetings accessible to any resident.

Medium-term (6–9 months, early 2026 target):

• Master plan completed and submitted to city council.
• City council holds public meetings and votes on master-plan approval.
• Phased implementation strategy finalized (consultant to break improvements into phases with funding triggers).

Long-term (post-approval):

• City develops Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) reflecting master-plan priorities and phases.
• Lease agreements with rodeo and other tenants amended or renegotiated to reflect new maintenance responsibilities, zoning clarity, and facility terms.
• Zoning determination made (if needed) and formalized.
• Funding strategy determined; $15 million state appropriation (if court ruling is favorable) applied to Phase 1 infrastructure.
• Phased construction and improvements over multiple years.

Controversies & Context

Historical governance failure: City Manager Kimell explicitly stated, "In their last agreement with the rodeo the city said they were going to develop a master plan and they were going to do some work and we didn't and we failed in that way." This 2007 commitment went unmet, leaving the rodeo and community in uncertainty.

Rodeo's independent planning (2022): Faced with city inaction, the rodeo organization independently developed a master plan proposing major expansion with a large indoor facility. Deputy Manager Morris noted this plan was ambitious ("they kind of went big") and may not align with current city priorities or be economically feasible given neighborhood constraints.

Community divisiveness: Morris observed, "I think the unknown and the fact that as you said the city really wasn't involved in what's next for the rodeo… I think the uncertainty is really what gave angst to some folks in the community." This acknowledgment validates neighborhood anxiety over uncontrolled future development.

$15 million state appropriation in limbo: Approximately two years ago, the state legislature allocated $15 million to the rodeo grounds (or city, depending on the legal vehicle). A court case was filed challenging the allocation; the judge has heard arguments and a ruling is expected "any day" or "in the very near future." The outcome will materially affect the city's ability to fund Phase 1 infrastructure without further local appropriation or bonding.

Infrastructure crisis as public health and safety concern: Deputy Manager Morris characterized the aging infrastructure not merely as a maintenance issue but as a capacity constraint: "You couldn't even put more restrooms in because the capacity of the lines couldn't hold it." This language suggests that compliance with modern codes, ADA accessibility, and safety standards may be at risk.

Neighborhood encroachment: The property was designed and developed in 1913 with no surrounding residential use. Residential development has since grown around the grounds, creating conflicts unanticipated in the original planning. Modern planning standards require buffering, screening, and traffic management that were not contemplated in 1930s infrastructure design.

Branding and economic development: City management framed the rodeo grounds as a civic asset and economic driver for tourism. Kimell stated, "When you come to this property, we want something that says, 'Oh, Prescott is awesome.'" He invoked the courthouse and "the Dells" as comparable "branding properties" that define Prescott's identity. This framing elevates the project beyond mere facilities management to strategic city positioning.

Maintenance responsibility realignment: Historically, the rodeo has maintained the property despite city ownership, likely due to lease structure or de facto arrangement. The city now acknowledges that landlord maintenance responsibility must shift to the city. Kimell noted, "I like that idea of, you know, it's the city property and we need to step up and take care of it and make sure that it stays in good condition."

Duration

• This presentation: Approximately 25–30 minutes (informal dialogue format, not a council meeting).
• Total meeting: Single-item presentation; no other agenda items noted.

Other Notable Items

Zoning contingency: While the rodeo grounds are currently zoned high-density residential, city and county law often exempt municipal property from zoning requirements. Morris indicated zoning review will follow master-plan approval and that zoning may be changed to better reflect use—but clarified that zoning change may not be legally necessary. This defers a potential controversy (rezoning) to a future date when the master plan's details are known.

Event curation and scale: Morris and Kimell emphasized that future events hosted on the grounds must be "the right scale and size that fit amenities that are here and aren't an impact act on the community." Explicitly, concerts "aren't really part of the plan," signaling that neighborhood concerns about festival-scale events have been heard and heeded. This represents a constraint on the property's future use—a win for the neighborhood but a limit on revenue potential for the rodeo.