Going back to June 2006, the Oro Valley Development Review Board ("DRB") held a number of meetings discussing Vestar's development plan for their Marketplace. For the most part, Bill Adler was the only one who consistently expressed concerns that Vestar was not in compliance with Oro Valley town codes.
Too bad Oro Valley personnel did not listen to Bill Adler!
The following are excerpts of Bill Adler addressing the DRB.
June 29, 2006 DRB Meeting
"Bill Adler stated that the Zoning Code does not authorize or comply with the concept plan, and said that compliance with something that is not authorized and not defined is legally and professionally is irrelevant. His concern is not with the concept plan, which as far as he is concerned doesn’t exist, but with the rear elevations because they face scenic corridors.
He added that the Town is required to treat architecture facing major thoroughfares and our scenic thoroughfares in an aesthetic fashion, and the varieties of textures, materials,and designs on the rear elevations are required to be replicated in the same fashion as the most attractive front elevations.
He strongly disagrees with the new analysis. He went to the site,and driving south on Oracle or eastbound on Tangerine, those buildings are viewable. There is some suggestion that ADOT will widen Oracle in the future, and those elevations will be more viewable."
Sept 19, 2006 DRB Meeting
"Bill Adler opined that the DRB ignored the requirements laid out in the Oracle Scenic Corridor Overlay District, and said he wanted to be sure that this does not happen again when Vestar builds along the architectural elevations within the Tangerine Scenic Corridor. He named the relevant pages in the DRB members Zoning Book, and said he hope that it isn’t overlooked in the future. He added that DRB members need to be knowledgeable about what the requirements and guidelines are."
Nov 14, 2006 DRB Meeting
Bill Adler commented that he was disappointed in the architecture and was not pleased with the lack of compliance with the town code."
Dec 12, 2006 DRB Meeting
"Bill Adler requests that each member of the DRB send a message to the Town Council explaining the members’ interpretation of the building code. Mr. Adler states that it is important that Town Council know how each member feels about the proposal(Vestar)."
June 4, 2007 DRB Meeting
"Bill Adler said it is important that consistency be achieved throughout the project to protect the scenic corridor."
1 comment:
The following is an email I received from Bill Adler----
May I ask that you add the following comment to the entry you provided regarding my testimony on Vestar?
It may appear that testimony before a Board, Commission or Council is ineffective and, therefore, not worth the time. Actually, there was modest improvement to the Vestar project. But, more importantly, citizen participation in the development review process can be improved.
There is a Town Council study session on Wednesday, August 27th at 5:30 PM. There are two agenda items that directly affect this subject. One is the method of appointment of volunteers to serve on Boards and Commissions, and the second is the incorporation of "Community Benefit Agreements" to bridge communication between neighbors and a developer. The capability of volunteers to handle the responsibility of serving on a Board or Commission is critical to the success of citizen participation. I will be explaining the second item to the Council as I have experienced success with CBAs in Oro Valley.
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