The Arizona Department of Commerce has the legislated responsibility to develop a 10 year economic plan for the State of Arizona that wants to accelerate solar adoption, and develop a solar electric industry within the state that would provide economic development. Arizona incentives for solar are mostly provided by the utilities. Technology improvements/cost reductions will allow central solar to compete with conventional baseload and intermediate generation. Implementing the roadmap initiatives will allow AZ to build upon its assets and policies to establish a leadership position in fostering solar.

The study was conducted in response to concerns from state leaders about the perceived shortage of construction workers and the impact that this shortage may be having on the industry’s ability to meet the growing residential and commercial demand for construction. The purpose of this study is to document the state of the industry, its workforce, and its capacity to prepare skilled workers to meet a growing demand.

The information in this report is based on telephone interviews with 700 registered voters. One random sample of 500 registered voters was selected from all registered voters living in Arizona. This sample was proportionately stratified so that voters in each of Arizona’s 15 counties were included in the sample. An additional sample of 100 interviews with registered voters living in Pima County was also interviewed. A third random sample of 100 registered voters living in the more rural counties also was interviewed. The purpose of selecting the two smaller samples was to create sub-samples of Pima County and rural voters that could be compared with the opinions of voters in Maricopa County.

The purpose of this analysis is to identify supplier gaps in Arizona based on secondary data as well as a statewide buyer survey. The buyer survey includes results from a web-based questionnaire, as well as personal interviews. The analysis is structured around twelve industries of opportunity identified in “Arizona’s Economic Future,” prepared by Economy.com in August 2002.

One of the ways that buyer supplier relationships in Arizona could be strengthened is through a statewide program that would provide resources to allow buyers and local suppliers to identify each other more easily to and provide better feedback to suppliers enabling them to compete more effectively with nonlocal vendors. This study includes reviews of three such programs: AZBusinessLinc used in Tucson; Connectory which is a similar program used in California; and FOCUS which is used for government procurement in California.

The “Rural Planning Area” concept is a means by which traditional agricultural enterprises such as ranching can be preserved in the face of changing economic conditions. The intent of the Diablo Canyon Rural Planning Area is to identify a range of economic opportunities that would be compatible with maintaining traditional ranch operations on the Flying M and Bar T Bar. To be sure, some of the options identified in this plan are very different from traditional ranch practices, but they are intended to help support the existing ranches economically while keeping the ranches intact and operating into the next generation and beyond.

The purpose of the Valle Area Plan is to ensure that future development in the area is in the interest of public health, safety, and welfare, that it is not detrimental to the established character of the community, and that it preserves or enhances the special characteristics that define the Valle Area. More specifically, the plan serves as an amendment to the Coconino County Comprehensive Plan, and guides the decision-making processes of the Planning and Zoning Commission and Board of Supervisors in their consideration of zone changes, subdivisions, conditional use permits, and other development-related proposals.

As the principal gateway to the Grand Canyon, the community of Tusayan plays an important role in the provision of goods, services, and information to tourists and visitors. The study area extends three miles north to the Grand Canyon National Park boundary, and four miles south of the existing community and five miles on either side of Highway 64. The plan has no established time period. The last Tusayan plan, the South Grand Canyon Specific Area Study, was adopted by the Board in 1978. Ideally, this plan will be updated and amended regularly.

The Red Lake Study area consists of almost 40,000 acres of private land within an approximately 150 square mile area. State of Arizona and National Forest Service land comprise the remainder of property in the study area. The area extends north 14 miles from the Williams City Limits. Highway 64 bisects the study area with the boundaries extending 5 to 6 miles to the east and west. The study area is bounded on the east by the center line of Range 3 East, to the north is the 6th Standard Parallel, the west boundary is an extension of the west section line of Section 2, T24N, R1E, and the Williams City Limits forms the southern boundary. Land uses in the study area have evolved slowly through the years. The primary land use has historically been ranching. Most of the subdivisions were platted during the height of land speculation in Arizona in the 1960's and early 70's. The commercial development in the study area was primarily established in order to serve tourists traveling to the Grand Canyon.

The purpose of the "Parks Area Plan" is to ensure that future development in the area is in the interest of the public health, safety, and welfare, that it is not detrimental to the established character of the community as a whole, as well as individual neighborhoods, and that it preserves or enhances the special characteristics that define the study area. The plan is adopted as an amendment to the "Coconino County Comprehensive Plan", and guides the decision-making processes of the Planning and Zoning Commission and Board of Supervisors. The plan does not identify specific land uses for specific locations, but sets forth goals and policies designed to protect the special characteristics of the community, while allowing for orderly, well-planned, and appropriate development. The plan has no fixed time period, but is intended to be applicable for approximately ten years.