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A mammoth land grab by one of Arizona’s smallest municipalities is being hailed by town officials as a way to finally bring growth and revitalization to a long-stagnant community.

Critics, however, say the moves made by Mammoth late last year could spell doom by stretching thin an already-stretched revenue stream.

In November, Mammoth, a former mining town 30 miles northeast of Oro Valley, annexed 16,490 acres that increased the size of the town from just under one square mile to almost 27.

Most of the annexed territory is 12,735 acres of state trust land, which needed to be included in order for Mammoth to take in its target: a proposed master-planned community featuring more than 3,500 homes that Fairfield Homes hopes to develop on the north side of Arizona 77 near Oracle.

No timetable is set on when the homes would be built or what the size and price range would be.

Mammoth’s annexation occurred without much notice, though it has gained attention lately as Oro Valley moves forward with its own plans to annex 9,100 acres of state trust land known as Arroyo Grande north of town.