Cowtown is located within the northern area of the City of Peoria. It is approximately 78 acres in size and located at the northwest corner of Old Carefree Highway and 104th Avenue. The property was purchased in 1974, and developed within unincorporated Maricopa County as a venue for outdoor entertainment events, which were oriented towards old west activities and film productions. The current ownership group, Westward Ho Adventures, LLC (or “Owner”) took over Cowtown’s operations prior to annexation into the City of Peoria in 1994. Shortly after the ownership change, firearm training and marksmanship classes were incorporated into Cowtown.

Over the years, Cowtown has been the host of movie and television productions, western shooting clubs, corporate events, festivals and parties, shooting competitions, firearm training classes, and advanced training in long range marksmanship classes for police, military and civilian instructors. These uses continue on the property presently; however, said uses were not clearly defined in sufficient detail within the initial zoning case to adequately reflect the character and nature of Cowtown. Accordingly, the Owner has submitted an application to rezone the Cowtown Property to better define the particular unique land uses, development standards, and operational criteria for Cowtown. The accompanying rezoning application (Z16-0013) are scheduled for the same meeting; however, the subject of this report is the Memorandum of Understanding.

There are special and specific land use considerations associated with designing, maintaining, and managing this type of facility which are outside of city staff’s normal proficiency; however, are within Cowtown’s expertise. More specifically, the Owner selected a consultant with relevant and knowledgeable expertise in the design and management of outdoor shooting ranges to review the details of Cowtown’s operations. The consultant has stated that Cowtown “demonstrates that their operations will meet these criteria and be in compliance with appropriate safety and management concerns.” Over time, there may be industry changes or circumstances that warrant modifications to Cowtown’s operations to maintain “best management practices”. The attached Memorandum of Understanding (Exhibit 1) outlines the proposed commitments and performance measures associated with Cowtown’s shooting range activities.

A: Approve the request to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with Westward Ho Adventures, LLC.

B: Reject the request to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with Westward Ho Adventures, LLC.

Authorize the City Manager to enter into a Memorandum of  Understanding with Westward Ho Adventures, LLC.