Cave Creek will do more than preserve 4,300 acres of pristine desert if it annexes 8.8 square miles of mostly Arizona trust land.

The annexation would protect some of the Northeast Valley's most prized possessions, from the historic trails of Go John Canyon to the Saguaro-studded summit of Apache Peak.

In the plans, more than 4,000 acres will be re-zoned to open space conservation, safeguarding the land from the threat of bulldozers. The remaining residential land will be auctioned off by the Land Department.

In exchange for the open space, Cave Creek will allow for more intense development on 240 acres north of Carefree Highway near 32nd Street for the Land Department to maximize the return on its sales or lease.

Also in the agreement, another 100 acres just north of Cave Creek Regional Park, will be rezoned to commercial and leased by the state to accommodate a resort, said Cave Creek Planning Director Ian Cordwell.

The annexation, which includes four parcels, will extend the town's borders west to the alignment of 24th street:

• The largest site, called Rogers Wash, encompasses nearly 4,000 acres north of Rockaway Hills drive.
• The 768-acre Willow Springs area runs west of the Spur Cross Road alignment and south of the Spur Cross Ranch Conservation Area.
• The third site, Apache Wash, is 720 acres west of 32nd Street.
• The final "core site" includes 1,878 acres of in-town property.

For years, the Legislature has failed to give conservation-minded towns and cities first dibs on Arizona's trust lands before they succumb to developers at auction.

The Arizona State Land Department is required to sell or lease land to the highest bidder to fund schools and public agencies.

A bill effectively dead in the Legislature would have allowed cities and towns to buy lands at appraised value, and conserve them, without having to compete at auction with developers.

To bypass the legislative gridlock, conservationists are mulling a citizens' initiative for the Nov. 4 ballot that would allow voters to decide.

Until then, most cities and towns will have no way of following in Cave Creek's footsteps, Francia said.