Residents protesting plans for a three-story hotel development at Oak Creek

OAK CREEK, Ariz. (FOX 10) -- A battle of man-made vs. Mother Nature is going on in the village of Oak Creek, as some residents fight a proposed zoning change that would make way for a new hotel.

The residents fear it will take the area in the wrong direction of progress over preservation and people. At the center of contention is a brush-covered lot at the corner of Jacks Canyon Road and State Route 179, which may soon be home to a new three-story, 165-room hotel. The development, however, would mean spoiling a spectacular view, bring more traffic, and even create safety concerns.

Roughly three million visitors pass through the location each year, and the hotel is already being built just up the block to give some of them a place to stay. The flip side of the coin is tourism dollars, which is close to $25 billion a year in these parts, and it also equals careers, cars and homes for some.

Since the Village of Oak Creek is unincorporated, Yavapai County will make the final call at this crossroads.

VIDEO: FOX 10's Brian Webb reports.