SU21-31(Old Fort Bowie) The Applicant, Mr. Robert Ruisinger of Diamond Mountain, Inc, requests a Special Use modification to approve the construction of numerous buildings, monuments, and walking paths.  A detailed description is provided further in the report.

The Applicant, Mr. Robert Ruisinger of Diamond Mountain, Inc, requests a Special Use Authorization to approve the construction of numerous buildings, monuments, and walking paths as follows:
 

1. Welcome Center/Visitor Center with café and gift shop – providing interpretative information, orientation, and respite for visitors.
2.  Offices – part of the Welcome Center/Visitor Center building, offices for employees and volunteers for Diamond Mountain Retreat Center administration.
3. Memorial Wall and Garden – an exterior garden with a memorial wall will be an exterior experience for visitors to the Welcome Center.
4. Visitor Parking Lot – a parking lot will be constructed for visitors to Diamond Mountain with approximately 100 parking spaces.
5. 1 Bus Drop/Staging Area – a drop off facility for groups arriving by tour buses.  While visitors are experiencing activities at the Diamond Mountain Retreat Center, the tour bus will stage/wait at this location for the return of their passengers.
6. Staff/Volunteer housing – initially four additional new units with the potential for 24 units in the future.
7. Maintenance Facility – a maintenance building and yard for maintenance and repairs of Diamond Mountain's facilities and for servicing guests in the retreat houses.
8. The Pilgrimage Path – a recreational hiking trail with 7 Stupas and two of the Stupas (Stupa 1 and Stupa 4) will have meditation buildings with the potential for more at other Stupa locations in the future.  Between some of the Stupas, rest stops will be provided along the Pilgrimage Path, offering drinking water, seating, and shade for visitors hiking up to the termination of the Pilgrimage Path at a Mountain Temple.  The first rest stop, near an area native Americans used for cultural events and referred to as the Apache Sacred Ground, will educate visitors about the Apache tribe, their history and tie to place, and the meaning and purpose of the Apache Sacred Ground.
9. A Mountain Temple – a small intimate temple terminates the Pilgrimage Path near the highest peak on Diamond Mountain's property, providing a place for Buddhist worshippers.
10. Additional small meditation buildings at the other 5 Stupas are under consideration, but their construction depends on the success of fundraising efforts.
11. An additional Temple near the first Stupa is under consideration, but its construction depends on the success of fundraising efforts.

The project is located north and south of Old Fort Bowie Road and identified as Assessor Parcel Numbers 304-22-001A, 002, 025, and 006H, consisting of approximately 1,076 acres.  A total of approximately 10.5 acres are proposed to be cleared and developed.

The Rural Land Use District, Section 603.04 permits churches or places of worship by right.  The Zoning Regulations further define Churches or Places of Religious Worship - Buildings and locations where people regularly participate in or hold religious services, meetings, or other activities related to exercising their religious beliefs.  Therefore, the stupas, meditation buildings, temples, and similar are NOT the subject of the Special Use.  Building permits may be submitted for permits without the approval of a Special Use and public input.  
 
This Special Use is for the welcome/visitor/cafe/gift shop, offices, housing, maintenance buildings, and other structures unrelated to religious activities.  The applicant has presented their entire phased plan for information and consideration of the Commission.
 
It should be noted that Federal Law, the Religious Land Use and Institutional Persons Act (RLUIPA), protects religious institutions from burdensome or discriminatory land-use regulations.