Our friend & neighbor, and avid environmentalist, Hector Conde addresses many issues of concern relative to Oro Valley's consideration of State Lands north of town, known as Arroyo Grande.
Please read Hector's message below, and also read our next posting on the WATER issue raised by Tony Davis, Az Star reporter.
Art
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Dear friend and neighbors: There is some disturbing news for those that are or may be concerned with the following:
1 The ownership of the Land lying between Oro Valley and Pinal Co limits
2 The expansion of the Tortolita Mountain Park
3 The increase in traffic and air pollution in the area
4 The increase in taxes that more development will bring
5 The obliteration of all wildlife and native vegetation in the area
6 The disappearance of the ages old biological corridor
4 The increase in water usage that more housing will bring
On January 3rd I had the chance to read a technical report entitled “Arroyo Grande Conceptual Plan” written by Terra Systems SW for the State Land Department where a development of 11,547 acres is proposed. Roughly a half of it was designated as Master Planned Community, a technical term for “anything goes”. Densities in the area are left to the imagination of the developer’s accountant and the responsibility of the jurisdictional power.
I just got a call from Michelle Muench, Project Manager at the State Land Dept. . She said that the Arroyo Grande plan is being revised now and that it is going to be reviewed by the OV council on the 16th. Then there is going to be a community meeting in OV on January 22nd.
The future jurisdiction is of importance, because Pima County has worked for diligently, trough the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan, to set procedures and plans to conserve the land for the benefit of the plant and animal life of the region and has obtained through bonds voted by the public, funds to purchase it.
The State Land Department has ignored the existence of the Arizona Preserve Initiative within the Arizona Statutes. Land that was approved by the Department for preservation is now slated for development. This change in attitude reveals disdain for the electorate. Some 80 people, of the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan, most representing civic and commercial organizations worked for many years to decide what we wanted in that area. Today state land commissioner Winkelman has decided that only his opinion is valid.
The commissioner has a monumental conflict of interest in dealing with the sale of state land. He is on the board of directors of Valley Partnership Inc. Valley partnership is an AZ registered lobbyist organization. That board has on it some of the most notorious developers in the land...
There is a misconception about how the sale of state land affects public education. The schools work on budgets, which are based on a fixed amount based on the numbers of students in the state and in the need of buildings for those schools. The money is voted by the legislature and does not depend on the sale of state land. As a matter of fact, the more land is sold, the more land is going to be available for congressional pork. The legislative council opined that the “land is an asset that appreciates”. That it may as well stay unsold, it would only increase in value.
The Tortolita Mountain Park is 4,000 acres today. It was going to be expanded to 21,030 acres. All that is now dead. The surrounding communities, both in Pima and Pinal Co could benefit from a large park.
At this point the public has no access to any public record as to what the development would be, but any decision made today would not be what the land would look like years from now, under Oro Valley lax attitude towards development. The Arroyo Grande report mentions that Oracle road, even at 6 lanes, could not serve the population. Most of that area has no significant aquifer; therefore the water would be drawn from Oro Valley. Oro Valley is losing about 8 feet of water depth per year because of excessive pumping.
The town of Oro Valley had a nefarious attitude related to environmental matters. Its continuous growth has led to the destruction of the ecology in the region and is successfully turning the pristine area it was into a mix of roads, cars and red roofs. The town has eliminated an environmentally sensitive land ordinance in progress, a wash, and some 400 acres of open space in Neighborhood 11 (a nice multi-million dollar present to the land owner), and allow the destruction of an ironwood stand in Stone Canyon, just to name a few outrages.
The history of attempts to sell the state land to developers is long and dates prior to 1993. First, Del Webb wanted to extend their Sun City to the north (hence the 4 lane Summerstar Rd. planned to connect the extension) which was denied, then a Catalina realtor tried unsuccessfully to get some land, then OV wanted to annex as a deal with some developers. For the next attempt, we collected 1300 signatures in a petition to Governor Hull, who responded very positively to our request, with a hearing in Sun City, but then an attempt from OV to annex section 16, and lately another attempt and another petition sent matters to the old status quo.
The population and some jurisdictions have put hundreds of work-hours and thousands of dollars in trying to keep our natural resources intact. There is plenty of land available. Why ruin ecologically important land such as a biological Corridor? Somebody’s profits may be Arizona’s future generation’s losses.
As for water, read our assessment in the website www.azwater.us
Please, let your friends know about the meetings.
Hector Conde
1 comment:
A person grows so weary hearing the truth from people and newspapers that know what they're talking about, and that the present Mayor and Council are likely to ignore! They are destroying Oro Valley and many of us have come to realize that sad fact.
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