The first phase of a proposed development on Flagstaff Mountain in Mahoning Township has received a conditional approval recommendation from the county.

On Tuesday, the Carbon County Planning Commission recommended the conditional plan approval for Phase 1A of the Sierra Vista Estates that Jake Arner of Awesome View Properties is proposing. The recommendation now gets sent to Mahoning Township, who will have the final say in whether or not the plan can move forward.

Before the recommendation, Arner told the commission that Phase 1A includes 17 lots, while Phase 1B will eventually include 53 lots.

“We would like to get started and hopefully we sell enough lots that we can continue with 1B at the same time,” he said, noting that he has excavation firms interested in starting to prepare the lots for sale.

Arner noted that there are some reservations, including the firms putting all of the estimated $3.5 million for the phases up already; as well as what the future of the real estate economy will be.

“They would like to start and get to here with about half that money and then it would allow them to recoup these lots if they sold them,” Arner said. “They are concerned if they can’t complete those (in Phase 1B) fast enough to generate income before the economy goes into a lull if it is going to.”

County Planner Ivan O. Meixell Jr., then outlined his review of the plans of the 23 acres adjacent to the existing Flagstaff Ballroom and Gallo’s Restaurant Complex.

He said the plan, as submitted, does not conform to final plan requirements of Mahoning Township’s Land Development Ordinances, citing 14 minor items that must be addressed before final approval should be given.

On item requires a designated recreation area offered for dedication to Mahoning Township for subdivision and land development plans.

Arner pointed out on the plans at the meeting that the recreation area is proposed on lot 109 in Phase 1B.

Meixell said there is no definitive timeline as to when all of these items will be completed based on the various entities involved in the permitting process, but told the commission that final plan approval cannot be granted until all items are addressed.

In July 2019, Mahoning Township Supervisors approved a preliminary approval for this project on the recommendation of the township planning commission.