TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) - Federal officials have reinstated a key permit needed for the construction of a housing development in Benson near the San Pedro River.
The Arizona Daily Star reports the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers told developer Michael Reinbold, of El Dorado Holdings, that it has approved a Clean Water Act permit for the 28,000-home Villages at Vigneto project “with modifications.”
The Corps’ action reinstates a permit it had approved in 2006 but suspended in July 2016 for additional environmental reviews. That came two months after environmentalists sued the agency over the permit.
Environmentalists say the groundwater pumping for the project could dry up the river.
Construction on the development could start next year.
The Benson City Council approved the project’s final development plan in July 2016. It wasn’t clear Tuesday what other local permissions Vigneto needs before land-clearing can begin.
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Information from: Arizona Daily Star, http://www.tucson.com
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