Judge Rules in Favor of Referendum Challenging Big Northern Arizona Healthcare Campus Project8/8/2023 ![]() An obstacle has been placed in the path of a project that could see the $800 million construction of a new hospital campus in northern Arizona. Coconino Superior Court Judge Brent Harris has issued a ruling denying a request by the health care organization Northern Arizona Healthcare to put a stop to a referendum asking voters to decide on the project. For some two years now, the Northern Arizona Healthcare system has been laying the groundwork to build what it being called a Health and Wellness Village. As planned, the project would be built near the Fort Tuthill County Park, roughly 6 miles to the southwest of downtown Flagstaff. As proposed, the project would not only see the construction of a multi-story hospital and ambulatory care center, but also a hotel, grocery store, restaurants, residential units, and a natural retreat with walking trails measuring around 22 acres. While the idea has won the support the Flagstaff City Council and been the subject of a series of public input meetings, it has also engendered opposition from some residents who have called for more transparency in the process. A group called Friends of Flagstaff’s Future have called for more information on the project, declaring that an “unbiased community needs assessment is warranted.” Another group, Flagstaff Community First, earlier this summer submitted around 4,800 signatures, when only 2,607 were required, to have the project put on a ballot this fall, arguing that the public should have a say in deciding on such a large development project. In response, Northern Arizona Healthcare went to court to put an end to the referendum move, claiming in particular that some of the petition language suggesting that the healthcare group was going to directly build a retail or commercial building was in error. Jude Harris, however, has ruled that the referendum could proceed despite the wording of the petition. In a statement, Northern Arizona Healthcare said it “plans to appeal the decision because voters deserve to understand the issue at hand is hospital construction, not retail and commercial construction.” By Garry Boulard
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