County board rejects zoning change for massive 2 Guns Resort project

The Coconino County Board of Supervisors on Wednesday night unanimously rejected an ambitious redevelopment plan for the Two Guns, Arizona, site.

John Gunderman of Indiana had planned to convert 267 acres at the Route 66 ghost town into a 774-unit western-themed “glamping” area with a cliffside hotel, treehouses, yurts, cabins, several restaurants, a rodeo, two water parks and even a small drive-in theater.

However, the 2 Guns Resort proposal ran into skepticism or outright opposition from the five supervisors and all 18 people who commented about the plan during the nearly four-hour Zoom videoconference. Gunderman sat stone-faced as dissent to his plan continued to mount during the meeting.

The proposal ran into trouble almost right away during its initial hearing in December with the board of supervisors because the 70 tepees and 12 hogans that would have been used as overnight rooms were deemed as culturally insensitive to many Native Americans who live in the region. Tepees are not historically accurate to Arizona tribes; those structures were used by Plains Indians.

The tepees, hogans and other Native American-themed attractions were removed from the proposal two days before Wednesday’s meeting. The plan still contained Conestoga wagons for camping, which irked several Native American commenters. Those wagons remain symbolic of white settlers who flooded into the region during the 19th and early 20th centuries.

“There’s nothing romantic about those wagons that decimated our communities,” one member of the Navajo Nation said during public comments.

Native American commenters also questioned whether Gunderman would be considerate to them, despite the removal of tepees and hogans from the plan. The 2 Guns Resort would cut off access to indigenous people who use the site to gather ceremonial and edible plants. An archaeological study of the site also hadn’t been completed before Wednesday’s meeting. Many locals suspect Native Americans are buried there.

Before her vote to reject the zoning change, Supervisor Patrice Horstman summarized her and other board members’ misgivings. She said 2 Guns Resort had no evacuation plan, no fire protection plan, no law-enforcement plan, no security plan and no emergency medical management plan.

The Winslow fire and police departments 20 miles away had rejected the developer’s request to provide services to the resort. Gunderman said he planned to use Twin Arrows Casino or consult with a fire marshal about fire protection.

Horstman said the developers “failed to understand” Native American culture and that the proposal continued to use western myths and stereotypes.

“My concern is whether the developer understands the concerns of the county,” she said.

Gunderman acknowledged some ignorance about indigenous culture to Supervisor Lena Fowler, who is of Native American descent.

“I didn’t realize a lot of things,” he said to her.

The board didn’t address another concern that briefly was mentioned by several commenters — where 2 Guns Resort would acquire its water. Because Arizona law deals extensively with water issues, the board is expressly forbidden from considering that factor in its zoning decisions.

Gunderman had planned these attractions for 2 Guns Resort:

  • Conestoga wagons
  • Cabins
  • A small Route 66 drive-in theater where patrons would drive in with golf carts, not cars
  • Treehouses
  • Yurts
  • A Reunion Lodge
  • A Cliffside Hotel on the edge of Canyon Diablo
  • An open-air venue
  • Rosie’s Route 66 Diner
  • A steakhouse
  • A Mexican restaurant
  • A chapel
  • Two water parks
  • Miniature golf course
  • Laser shooting gallery
  • Equestrian sites
  • Pet resort
  • Emergency helicopter pad
  • Employee housing

Gunderman also stated he would preserve the remnants of the zoo and other historical sites at Two Guns and incorporate them into new architecture for the hotel and other buildings. Rubble from collapsed structures also would have been used in new construction.

He said he also planned to repair and restore the old Route 66 bridge over Diablo Canyon. The fabled Apache Death Cave also would be sealed off but allow enough of an opening so native bats could continue to use it as a habitat.

Chris Armer, an architect for the project, said 2 Guns Resort would hire 150 to 175 full-time employees and 50 to 75 seasonal workers. He estimated it would draw $40 million in bookings per year, along with $12 million in other revenue.

Armes said redeveloping the site would eliminate vandalism and prevent intrusions into Apache Death Cave. He said he also hoped to have 2 Guns Resort open by 2026, the centennial year of Route 66.

Ed Klein, known for his Route 66 World website, claimed during the public comment part of the meeting the “vast majority” of the Route 66 community didn’t support the project. He expressed doubts about its funding and predicted “a major backlash” to it. He also said Two Guns is “not a safe environment” part of the year because of strong winds.

Another Route 66 aficionado from California questioned the removal of access to Two Guns to roadies who wished to explore it. He also derided the use of the ruined structures with new construction.

“This person is ruining that site by eliminating history,” he said.

Another commenter said she circulated paper and online petitions against the plan. Those drew more than 300 signatures.

Others questioned how sewage would be disposed of without harming the site’s ecosystem.

UPDATE: Gunderman posted this message on Facebook early Thursday:

Well tonight didn’t turn out like I had expected. The Coconino County Board of Supervisors voted unanimous against the Two Guns Resort Project I was trying to build. I look at it as a Blessings and I know God has something better for me.

UPDATE 5/16/2021: The Arizona Daily Sun in Flagstaff filed a report about the meeting.

(Artist’s rendering of the proposed 2 Guns Resort site in Arizona)

5 thoughts on “County board rejects zoning change for massive 2 Guns Resort project

  1. How can the Coconino board be “expressly forbidden from consider the water factor”, that makes NO sense!?

  2. So it is not “culturallly insensitive” to construct concrete or brick wall offices and homes in Arizona, but it is when building modern teepees and hogans? Since when are the former part of “Native American culture”? One more example of Onewayism.

    And how come reminders of “how the West was won” are bad when those over whom it was won have copied the winners hook, line and sinker when it comes to such things as anything run on electricity or petrol or diesel? Are they not guilty of ‘cultural appropriation”?

  3. It’s a wonder anything gets built anymore. How did 66 get built across native American land in the first place? How would the nation or any nation develop if the natives had veto power. Imagine the buffalo not being allowed to be hunted and killed. Millions of free range animals crossing major highways. don’t forget the next time you hear someone complaining about cultural appropriation they are probably speaking English.

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