By Tony Davis | Arizona Daily Star
The Benson City Council gave its first stamp of approval Monday night to the planned Villages of Vigneto project in the Whetstone Mountains, despite concerns from a packed house that the development threatened the area’s water supplies and the fragile San Pedro River.
The council voted 6-1 to approve a preliminary development plan for the 28,000-home development, which someday could play host to about 70,000 people. Councilman Patrick Boyle cast the only “no” vote.
The development would lie in the Whetstone Mountains,straddling State Hwy. 90 that heads south at that point from Interstate 10 toward Kartchner Caverns and ultimately, Sierra Vista.