AGENDA ITEM
4. PUBLIC HEARING - ORDINANCE NO. (O)09 - 03 OV9-04-02 REQUEST FOR APPROVAL OF A REZONING BY THE PLANNING CENTER REPRESENTING DESCO SOUTHWEST, LLC, TO CHANGE THE DESIGNATION OF THE EXISTING WASH ON THE WESTERN BOUNDARY OF THE MILLER RANCH DEVELOPMENT FROM SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL (R1-144) TO PARKS AND OPEN SPACE (POS), LOCATED ON THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF LA CANADA DRIVE AND TANGERINE ROAD (Continued from 3-25-09)
Explanation: Desco Southwest LLC, represented by The Planning Center is requesting approval of a rezoning change.
Desco requested their General Plan Amendment for this parcel in the old Miller Ranch property be dropped. However, they are going ahead with the rezoning change.
At face value, it appears Desco is looking out for the residents in the area. However, a well informed OV resident thinks otherwise.
Here is his take on this agenda item:
"The primary reason for the request is avoid the larger setbacks required when a commercial district is adjacent to a residential district. The wash is presently zoned within the residential R1-144 district. The applicant wishes to separate the wash from the residential district in order to reduce the setback requirements. Their rationale is that by reducing the set back they will be able to build more square footage. The construction could be as close to the wash as 15 to 20 feet. It is likely that the applicant will offer a compromise of a setback more than 20 feet but less than the original requirement. In my opinion, this rezoning request is an end run around reasonable and necessary setback requirements to protect environmentally sensitive space, such as a wash."
If you have any concerns on this rezoning issue, attend the April 16 Council meeting and have your voice heard.
8 comments:
The property owner is ABSOLUTELY trying to skirt around the true intent of the zoning ordinances so that future development of the Miller Ranch will have a reduced setback.
The tactic is: Get the rezoning now, work on the General Plan amendment later--possibly when there's less community opposition.
Mr. Bob Conant works for The Planning Center, and is well aware of OV's zoning code and how to best push through projects for his clients despite any gov't red tape involved. I'm not certain, but I have heard Mr. Conant used to work for OV in the past, which may explain his knowledge of finding loopholes. Just a guess.
I hope residents continue fighting this development, as few things could be worse than high density apartment complexes with reduced setbacks at Tangerine and La Canada--an area with relatively lower-density housing tracts.
As for Bob Conant, he definitely was an OV planner in the early 2000's.
In that capacity, I can assure our readers, Mr. Conant was a spokesperson for the developers on a number of occasions.
Although it's not pertinent to this issue, I can also tell our readers that in the past, the OV planner would address the council PRIOR to the applicant.
That policy changed when Mr. Conant spoke first on endorsing the planning department's approval of a car wash below La Reserve. When the applicant's attorney spoke next, he indicated they were dropping the car wash from their proposal.
Subsequently, wiser heads prevailed, and the applicant & planner "flip-flopped."
So yes---Mr. Conant has worked on "both sides" with developments.
And, yes, it appears he and his applicant may be "up to no good!"
When it's worded as, "we want to change the designation to Parks and Open Space" that sure sounds nice, doesn't it?
Then you find out it really means that they want to reduce the setback requirements so they can build on a larger portion of the land.
I attended the meeting where The Planning Center gave a presentation on behalf of Desco Southwest. They were explaining why they planned to ask for a General Plan amendment to change the zoning from low density residential on the north end of the property to high-density residential. They wanted to build a 2-story apartment complex. Citizens who weren't there should be aware of the following:
A resident asked this question:
"Won't this high-density rezoning set a precedent so that it will make it easier to get high-density rezoning in the surrounding areas?"
The Planning Center spokesperson answered:
"Yes, but Oro Valley is becoming more of an urban area and less of a suburban or rural area. It's an area in transition."
What??!!
None of us moved here because we wanted to live in an urban area.
Who dictates what a community is supposed to be - 'strictly profit' developers or the citizens who live here (P&Z/Council?)? It appears that steering a community into that which was never intended is an insight into
the fact that, given the mess the Country is in today, there yet exists those who would trump personal greed over personal sustainability; the [right to peaceful enjoyment of one's property]. I believe that there is a clause in the AZ revised statutes that addresses that [if a zoning change and subsequent adaptation negatively affects the value of ones personal real property, then compensation for
the difference might be in order]. Residents of the affected area -TAKE NOTE!
It is obvious that developers have 'had their way' (hopefully this is not an offensive utilization of verbiage to anyone) with Oro Valley for a lengthy time. Note that, in the Explorer of this past week, it was FINALLY divulged that the OV Marketplace is, in fact, a JOINT VENTURE with Vistoso Partners. Now can you guess why NO OTHER retail developer might have been considered?
IT'S TIME TO STOP THE UNRELENTING DISFIGUREMENT OF OUR OUR COMMUNITY!
Doug McKee makes a weak argument for the proposal - that [Oro Valley needs space for all of those tech companies that are going to be flying in here]; Doug Mckee, how can you have such foresight that, after the bust that this country is in, all of the rest of the country will lay down and we shall be the victors? I have heard this same argument from you when you were pushing for more land for tech companies in the Arroyo Grande issue. In the meanwhile, land and buildings are standing empty in this Town. Bill Adler makes the point that if you screw with the currently designated setbacks which were designed to protect a natural wash, a part of nature which we are trying to preserve could be impacted. Whose argument is more sensitive to the REAL NEEDS of Oro Valley?
WANT 'GREEN' - STAY GREEN!
The Tech Park is a done deal. They gave us the 3.3 acre lot buffer when all
this property was added to the general plan.A Wash is already a
non-buildable and a Natural open
space with no need for
rezoning. Desco is just trying to
to put one over on us.
Scott
I understand the 'Tech Park' is a done deal-it's the proposed 'amendment' that skews the 'balance', seemingly in favor of more square footage for said park and that simply translates into giving the developers more money and taking it away from the affected residences (loss of value?).
I remain suprised that any developer can get any type of funding for any type of development.
Yo developer dude! I can get a bank owned property for less than you can build.
Give it up and come back in 2012 when the market improves.
Post a Comment