A Rural Future Needs a Strong Foundation

Aerial view of Chino Valley with residential homes, roads, and open land, during sunset with a colorful sky and a sun setting behind distant mountains.
Aerial view of Chino Valley with residential homes, roads, and open land, during sunset with a colorful sky and a sun setting behind distant mountains.

Chino Valley’s 2040 General Plan calls for limited, sustainable growth that protects rural character while giving the town a stronger economic base. The Perkins Ranch Airfield fits that vision.

This is not growth for growth’s sake. It is a privately funded, carefully phased project designed to keep a historic working ranch intact while creating new opportunities tied to aviation, education, research and advanced manufacturing.

The airfield begins with a major private investment by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Over time, future phases could attract skilled jobs, local spending and new business activity in industries that fit Chino Valley better than dense housing or high-traffic development.

The goal is simple: create economic value without turning Chino Valley into somewhere else.

The project is designed to:

  • Keep large areas of the ranch open and rural

  • Support higher-wage jobs and workforce training

  • Generate construction activity and local business spending

  • Expand the town’s long-term economic base

  • Grow in phases, with continued Town review and oversight

Welcome sign for Chino Valley on a brown brick wall with rocks and desert plants in front, under a partly cloudy sky.
Welcome sign for Chino Valley on a brown brick wall with rocks and desert plants in front, under a partly cloudy sky.

A Better Kind of Growth

Chino Valley does not have to choose between preserving its rural identity and building a stronger future. The General Plan recognizes both.

The Town also faces a practical challenge: a growing community must maintain roads, support public safety and provide basic services with limited revenue. When the budget is tight, those needs do not go away. They become harder to meet.

The Perkins Ranch Airfield offers a way to strengthen the town’s economic base without inviting dense housing or high-traffic development. Private investment, construction activity and new business spending can generate additional revenue for local services while keeping the project low-density and compatible with Chino Valley’s rural character. This is the kind of growth that can help pay its own way.

A flyer promoting Proposition 410 to keep Chino Valley rural. It features a headline about assessing the need for economic development while maintaining rural character. The flyer lists three main points: supporting local economic opportunity, supporting town services, and keeping growth centered on the ranch. The flyer has a background image of a rural landscape with mountains, a windmill, and fences, with a logo at the bottom that includes mountains, a windmill, a cow, and a road sign.
A flyer promoting Proposition 410 to keep Chino Valley rural. It features a headline about assessing the need for economic development while maintaining rural character. The flyer lists three main points: supporting local economic opportunity, supporting town services, and keeping growth centered on the ranch. The flyer has a background image of a rural landscape with mountains, a windmill, and fences, with a logo at the bottom that includes mountains, a windmill, a cow, and a road sign.