Tusayan continues to spend as much as $15,000 a month on DC lobbyists who are advocating for a controversial development project that would add thousands of homes and about 1.43 million square feet of commercial space to the environmentally fragile area at the doorstep of the Grand Canyon. Italian Developer Stilo is behind the project, even though the Town of Tusayan is paying the lobbyist bills.

On October 28^th, The Town Council got a look at how the money is being spent by Brownstein, Hyatt, Farber, and Schreck. This marked the first time in recent memory a representative of the firm spoke in open session despite years of expenditures. The council received a brief packet which spells out the timeline as Brownstein seeks Forest Service easements to make the development a reality.

The report outlined the next steps:

• Continue discussions with the Forest Service
• Establish a timeline NEPA actions
• Prepare for public engagement during the comment period
• Set a goal for a final determination

Here is a link to the report.

Attorney William McGrath told the council required environmental studies for the project will be timely and expensive and also expects a large level of public interaction.

The Forest Service still has concerns. Stilo is promising not to use groundwater for the commercial development. The plan is to truck in the water, but no one can say from where. Groundwater would still be used for the residential component.

Another open question is whether the Tusayan Sanitary District could handle such a development.