The Prescott City Council met in special study session Tuesday, taking up two proposals that could reshape howand where people build in the city — new hillside development standards, and an updated wildfire building code.
City Planning Manager Alex Bramlett told the council the city’s existing hillside rules only cover subdivisions and large planned developments. The proposal would expand them to single-site projects for the first time — with the rules triggered by how steep a lot actually is.
Under the draft rules, the steeper the slope, the less of a lot can be disturbed during construction — a change that could shrink buildable area and drive up costs for anyone hoping to develop hillside property in Prescott.
The session then turned to wildfire resilience. Fire staff outlined a proposal to adopt the 2024 International Wildland-Urban Interface Code and designate the entire city as a wildfire risk area, up from about 80 percent today.
Anthony Valdez, Community Risk Reduction Chief, said:
The proposal includes relief for existing homeowners — minor additions or alterations would be exempt from full compliance, and historic structures get a separate carve-out entirely.
Valdez pointed out:
Council members called the approach balanced. But across more than two hours of discussion, not one member raised what tighter hillside limits or new wildfire construction requirements might mean for housing costs — or for working families trying to get into the market in the first place.
Both measures head to a full council vote in the coming weeks.