La Paz County backs Quartzsite tract for Opportunity Zone 2 pick

The question for La Paz County is whether the Courtside tract near Quartzsite is a real path to jobs, housing and commercial growth, or mainly a wager on tax incentives drawing capital on their own. Supervisors on May 4 voted to recommend the Quartzsite-area census tract as the county’s Opportunity Zone 2 pick, sending a formal local endorsement into a competitive state process.

The recommendation followed a presentation from the La Paz Economic Development Corporation and public support from Quartzsite officials and civic groups. Zafar Gensch, introduced by the chair as the EDC president, said the tract stood out because it already looked infrastructure-ready and had attracted investor interest. He argued that made it the strongest candidate if the state wants a parcel that can move quickly rather than sit idle.

Quartzsite Town Manager Jim Ferguson, along with representatives from the Quartzsite Women’s Club and the Quartzsite Chamber of Commerce, urged supervisors to back the tract. Ferguson pointed to the site’s location near Interstate 10 and said the community needs investment that can support growth, utilities and other public needs. Supervisors also noted that Parker did not qualify within the recommended tract boundaries, a reminder that census lines can determine which communities benefit from state incentive programs.

The board’s vote does not create an Opportunity Zone by itself. It forwards a local recommendation to the Arizona Commerce Authority and other state officials who will make the final decision. The authority says the OZ 2.0 process is competitive, that counties usually speak for unincorporated areas and that jurisdictions are generally asked to recommend about one quarter of eligible tracts. Its guidance says a strong candidate is typically ready for development, has water, power and sewer nearby, sits close to roads and a population center and can support a profitable project over a 10-plus-year horizon.

That context matters in La Paz County, where the economy is shaped by tourism, the Colorado River and vast stretches of public land. The county was created on Jan. 1, 1983, is Arizona’s 15th county and has Parker as its county seat. It covers 4,518 square miles, has about 30 square miles of water and the lowest population density in the state, at almost five people per square mile. The county’s 2023 estimated population was 16,820, while the Bureau of Land Management controls 58% of the land and only about 5% is privately or corporately owned.

Quartzsite itself is a small, older town with 1,877 residents, a median age of 73.5, per capita income of $26,658 and a poverty rate of 20%. Town notices in 2026 show officials already focused on the I-10/West Quartzsite traffic interchange and frontage road project, along with a 2026-2028 Arizona Department of Transportation transit grant application. The county’s 2035 Comprehensive Plan, adopted Aug. 18, 2025, emphasizes sustainable future growth while preserving rural character, and that is the test now: whether Opportunity Zone backing turns into concrete projects that fit that plan, not just a tax break on paper.