After more than two years since developers first began the subdivision process, the Pima Town Council approved the final plat for the Green Gable subdivision located west of Patterson Mesa Road and south of the Smithville Canal.

Riverback Builders LLC originally submitted its preliminary plat for the Green Gable subdivision to Graham County, but the land was annexed into the town of Pima before the plat received approval. The Pima Council approved the 43-lot subdivision’s preliminary plat during its August meeting after the developers agreed to add curbs, gutters and sidewalks.

A second subdivision by Riverback Builders, Orchard Park, is south of the Green Gable site and was also part of the December 2006 annexation. Orchard Park had already received approval for its final plat from the county, however, and is not required to install sidewalks, curbs and gutters. Both subdivisions have 1-acre lots. During its January meeting, Tom Palmer, an engineer for the PLS Group hired by the developer, said while he believed it to be ridiculous to require sidewalks for 1-acre lots, the developer would agree to the council’s direction in order to receive approval. Palmer said he researched more than 20 municipalities in Ari-zona and more than 90 percent of them do not require a sidewalk on an acre-or-larger-sized lot.

“Most communities understand that on an acre-plus lot there’s not a lot of traffic – there’s more horses than cars a lot of times – and if you need to walk, you walk on the road, and if you don’t want to walk, then that’s fine, too,” he said.

He then proposed building the sidewalks out of decomposed granite if the council continued to demand the installation of them for the subdivision.

The council then listened to Sean Lewis of the Planning and Zoning Commission, who said the sidewalks could only be made out of concrete, according to the town code.

He also said that, contrary to what the developer told the council, people in the area of the development do want sidewalks.

“We actually had someone approach us and want a sidewalk all the way from that subdivision to the town,” Lewis said. “So to say nobody out there wants sidewalks is ridiculous.”

Palmer argued that the code is so vague it can be interpreted differently from what was described by Lewis.

Mayor Russell Cox inquired about the previous Town Council’s decision, and Town Manager Gerald Schmi-dt said it made concrete sidewalks a requirement. Vice Mayor George Lemen and Councilor Sherri Roz-zell, the only two council members to have taken part in that vote, confirmed Schmidt’s assertion.

Lemen then moved to approve the final plat with the stipulation that the sidewalks be made of concrete. The motion passed unanimously.

In other council news, the council accepted the resignation of Police Chief Jeff McCormies and officer James Whisman.

McCormies’ last day will be Jan. 12, after which he will begin his new job as the Graham County undersheriff.

Whisman will leave the same day as McCormies and will start as a patrol officer for the town of Thatcher.

After returning from executive session, the council unanimously voted to interview all certified applicants for the open positions, including a reserve officer who previously resigned from his full-time job at the department. The interviews were Jan. 9.

The council also voted unanimously to advertise for a new police chief.