Washington Office Approves Direct Sale of Land for Campus

June 21, 2013, Payson, Arizona – – Good news! This week, the US Forest Service Washington Office (WO) provided its approval of the Sales Implementation Strategy (SIS). The SIS officially outlines the process and terms under which the land will be sold for the purpose of building of the campus.  WO approval of the SIS is one of the key milestones in the process to acquire the 250 acres of USFS land that remain the preferred site on which to build the university campus in Payson.

A key, and very important, element of the SIS approval is that the Washington Office has agreed that the land will be sold using a Direct Sale process. The Direct Sale will occur for the appraised value of the land, and enable the sale to be completed more quickly.

The document now will be returned to USFS Regional Office in Albuquerque. There, the Tonto Forest Supervisor will finalize the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) approval. A 45-day public appeal period follows, once the NEPA decision is completed.

A formal timeline to begin construction has not yet been formulated, but on-site surveying of the property could begin in October, if not sooner. The actual timeline will be dependent on the NEPA approval, the appeal period, and finalization of the cultural mitigation Treatment Plan.

The Treatment Plan is currently under discussion with the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), the Advisory Commission, and the Indian Tribes of Arizona. The approval process for the cultural path will continue to move forward.