All we can say about Sarah More's departure as Oro Valley's Planning & Zoning Director for a similar position in Sahuarita is that the severance package the Town Council approved, seems to be working.
Without being too presumptuous, we expect Assistant P & Z Director Paul Popelka will take over Ms. More's position. Should that occur, we wish Paul the best, and expect he will do a fine job.
Read the Az Star article here.
http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/300508
24 comments:
This is a great opportunity to reduce Town Hall staff.
There isn't much work for planning and zoning right now. This department can be combined with existing Community Development departments.
This would probably save close to $100K in salary and benefits.
The Town loses a very competent Planning and Zoning director, one who would certainly work to protect the Arroyo Grande area. But given the constantly stirring pot in OV, it's no surprise that she'd want to leave. All the action now is located S. of Tucson as Sahuarita grows eastward toward Rita Ranch and Vail.
I disagree that she was "a very competent Planning and Zoning Director." Too many times when she was asked questions at council meetings she would respond with, "I think" or "I'm pretty sure." The Director should KNOW the answers.
After being on any job for 6 months or more, I've been able to answer EVERY question that I was asked. When you do something every day, you become an expert at it (for lack of a better term), you know all the rules and all the policies, etc. I never understood why she so frequently couldn't answer the simplest of questions. She always seemed to be very unsure of herself.
Since Ms. More is leaving I would like to look forward. If the Arroyo Grande annexation becomes a reality I would like to see a planner in charge with the vision I see in Barry Gillaspie for green development and protection of sensitive areas.
B-b - "All the action now is located S. of Tucson"? I was recently in virtually all of the places Sahuarita, Vail, Benson; comparatively, there were a lot of homes for sale in these places with very little happening around ALL of them. Yes, they can dream, but will it happen? Not too long ago it was Pinal County where all the action was taking place. Prior to that it was northern Maricopa County. I could go on and on but it's really useless. You can buy a home in or around Queen Creek that sold new for around $200,000 a couple of years ago and get it for about $75,000; builders can't build and sell those homes for anywhere near that price today ANYWHERE, and, b-b, as YOU are well aware of the real estate situations, you must certainly realize that the inventory in Arizona is sky high and that the job market is low; not a good combination for recovery. An economic turnaround is not just around the corner - don't fool yourself. Nor, can ANYONE truly determine HOW and WHERE it may start to happen, let alone the shape of it all. AND, when (and if) it does finally occur, do you really think that Arizona will be the prime destination for the necessary influx to 'make it happen' here? Perhaps you can explain your optimism.
I wish Sarah More well in her new position but I do have to agree with some that she, for reasons that were not necessarily related to her capabilities, was in 'over her head' here, and for this reason she doesn't need to be trashed and, for the good that she has done, she needs to be thanked. But, I think it's a benefit that we get new 'blood' and hope that said person is strong enough to follow the 'rules' to the letter.
I am delighted to see Sarah More leave the Town of Oro Valley. From my observation at the various meetings I attended, she was unprepared on the subject matter. On many occasions she just did not address the issue at hand and spoke just to be speaking with no accountability. I even had a class that she taught and she would not even answer a question pertaining to the subject matter. That was a shock to me and well as many members of the class.
It was amazing to me that the few times her Assistant was at the meeting, he was able to answer questions, presented by the Council, whereas she didn't know the answers. The impression was that she wasn't able to get her work done and needed assistance.
I was very impressed with her Assistant and feel he can do an excellent job.
What great news! I am so glad to see that another community will be the object of Sarah's decisions.
She's the one who granted a Conditional Use Permit, then was instrumental in zoning change, and then decided that a polluting, Mercury-spewing crematorium was "analgous" to a mortuary. Lucky us! We get to breathe the results of her decision against our health!
Yes, Ferlin, we can thank Sarah for the polluting monster close to homes in Rancho Vistoso.
Maybe she didn't realize that the industrialized nations of the world have proclaimed, "Site crematoriums away from homes because of their pollution."
She does not know the long list of illnesses that can be caused by the toxic elements spewed from a crematorium.
It is a monument to her wisdom!
For those of that have been residents for a few years, "Ferlin's" comment, "I am so glad to see that another community will be the object of Sarah's decisions," reminded me of another past employee; Jeff Weir, our illustrious Economic Development Administrator, responsible for our "wonderful" (sarcasm intended) EDA's.
Kingman "took him off our hands," only to find out what we already knew: Weir was worthless, and in a short time frame was gone.
I guess we should hope Sahuarita does better. Time will tell.
Great news for Oro Valley.
Lamb Chop,
Did you notice Medrano cites 15 employees already took advantage of the buyout package, which Bill Garner suggested? They are saving the budget and empowering themselves. Great psychology!
Deacon,
You make an excellent case for Gillaspie's education, skills and experience in that role in Z&P. Has this Town ever had a paid employee who is also a Councilmember?
Other bloggers:
How many of you are blogging about the Town because Sara More's decisions permanently changed your life?
Let me be the first to raise my hand...and wave, "Good by, Ms. More! and you don't even live in Oro Valley!"
Zev makes some cogent comments about the housing and commercial market with which I can't disagree. However, when the market returns (at is inevitably will), Sahuarita will continue its massive growth, particularly to the east as it has amended its General Plan to try to capture more industrial and commercial interests.
There seems to be a lot of vitriol toward Ms. More on this site. I'm not in a position to comment on what she said or didn't say in public meetings. I only know that a P and Z Director's responsibilities include interpretation of codes and policies. To do this, she consults with the Town Attorney and reviews the process by which these policies were established. There are going to be times when a director will say "that depends," as a way of saying that he/she needs more time to research policy.
Of course, the crematorium issue will never die (no pun intended, really). Has anyone in the neighborhood been diagnosed with mercury poisoning yet? Since the owner of the facility lives in the nearby neighborhood, has he subjected his family to unreasonable health dangers? I really don't know the answers to these questions--perhaps someone else does, but they probably belong on a different thread than one concerning Ms. More's departure.
Native Spirit,
Neither a council member or a staff member can be both. Barry would have to resign the council to be P&Z Director. As it is now, Council Members work for about $9,000 a year without any employee benefits. I agree with LambChop, P&Z Directors salaries and benefits probably come close to 100K. With Barry in office we save 90K!
While I have observed Ms. More give less than acceptable explanations relative to zoning and/or fumble around with answers in order to cover a question, I have also had personal interaction with her and have found her persona to be amiable and her conversation to be rational and sensitive. MAIN PROBLEM: the Town, Mayor Loomis, certain Councilmembers, the Development Review Board, the PREVIOUS Town Attorney - ALL have allowed for the distortion (not interpretation) of the applications of zoning
regulations and word definitions with the apparent intent of allowing for letting the 'shoe fit'.
Parsing words, claiming that 'tradition' trumps
directive, misapplication of AZ Statute directives ('public notification required'), signs on properties, conformity relative to how 'public notification' is to be PUBLISHED, redefining the application of the term 'guidelines' by claiming them to be 'suggestions', misapplying the usage and types of 'general plan amendments', failure to adhere to the authority of the General Plan - all of the above have, in fact, been common practice which I doubt could have simply been initiated and promoted by one Sarah More.
No, folks, look at your Mayor, look at your Council (especially past), look at your DRB, and look at the developer types we have collected here in Oro Valley; Sarah More appears that she had somewhat became a 'pawn' in their schemes for 'progress'(?). While, Ms. More seems not to have been strong enough to avoid complicity, she was only a cog, not the wheel.
I agree with b-b that there "seems to be a lot of vitriol toward Ms. More on this site". Are we assigning her to be a 'cause' rather than an exploited effect?
For some time I, myself, attempted
to right some of these twisted practices by bringing attention to them; I was met with not only 'ho-hum', but was also met with unwarranted attack, not by Ms. More but by other entities. THE TOWN DIDN'T WANT THINGS 'RIGHT'!
Yes, I am satisfied that Ms. More will no longer be in the position that she is in; as in several other areas of struggle, we perhaps need a fresh beginning, a new guidance, and, hopefully a new Zoning Administrative approach that might help in bringing about a saner, more palatable approach to Oro Valley.
Well-put, Zev. We elect a Council (and they appoint Commissions and Boards) to make and interpet policy. God help the staff person (particularly a department head)who decides to go marching off in a different direction.
Let's remember, too, that these appointed officials also have the responsibility for operating their departments in addition to their more public roles at meetings. So, a department head may be a good manager but a less-than-stellar star in public settings.
I, for one, would not want to be the P and Z Director, trying to determine what the Council, P and Z Commision, DRB and other appointed boards want, particularly if there's no consensus among them, or if the historical record is muddy.
But, to give this a little perspective, right now we're dealing with a community that is fairly stagnant in its growth. Most of the current town is built out, so we're spending time dealing with issues like paint color. The rubber will hit the road when there are large annexations (e.g., Arroyo Grande) and new master planning efforts.
Could I suggest that Boobie-Baby google "crematorium pollution" or "Mercury Poisoning" and get herself educated on the excreted poisons from crematories.
The developer's family lives nearby, but he believes all the propaganda preached by the American Crematorium Association.
It takes more than 1.5 or 2 years to cause one of the three hundred illnesses caused by Mercury spewed into the air by crematoriums. There is also a long list of other heavy metals, i.e. Dioxins, etc. that are extremely hazardous.
Remember, the developer bragged he had "eight hours of training". Then draw your own conclusions.
I do feel for any individuals that live next door to a crematory. I am not making light of the comments posted here, but Vistoso Val states that it takes "1.5 to 2 years" for an illness related to fumes from a crematory to arise. This comment made me wonder: Adair has a crematory located in close proximity to homes on Northern Ave. They have been there longer than two years. Do any of their neighbors have any sicknesses that would correlate to living next to a crematory?
Good point, James. There are no crematoria in Tucson that are not attached to funeral homes, so any study would have to look at all of them.
But the issue in this thread was Ms. More's interpretation of the code that a crematorium was an accessory use that went along with a funeral home.
That's what I've been writing about: The Zoning Code (rightly) gives certain interpretive leeway to the Planning and Zoning Director. If not, the Commission and the Council would be tied up dealing with minor issues.
In this case, crematoria are regulated by the state (through their respective counties), so there wasn't much that a Planning and Zoning Director could do except to make a finding that a crematorium was not an accessory use. That, in turn, would probably have generated expensive litigation because OV's zoning code is silent regarding the location of crematoria. The town's oversight was limited, by law, to design, traffic, parking, etc.
So, to return to the original thread, all P and Z directors have certain limited authority to interpret codes and to refer to previous Council policy decisions. Anybody on this blog willing to apply for the position?
(Full disclosure: I am a certified Urban and Regional Planner, but I sure don't want the job!).
With reference to the Crematory, The State of Illinois had to move some of their Crematories from Residential areas to Industrial due to illness and problems and also in Indiana, problems with cows aborting their calves for the same reason and they moved many of their Crematories to Industrial areas. This information was the result of a Conference so maybe the owner is not aware and needs to do more research other then what the Crematory Association is giving him. Unfortunately Ms More was part of that scheme to change zoning for such a negative environment in our Town. If we had acquired someone more knowledgeable than Ms More, perhaps it never would have happened.
James, I said it takes "MORE than 1.5 to 2 years" if you reread my comments.
The folks around Adair were surveyed in 2006 and many stated that they had "new" respiratory problems, had only lived there a short time, but had noticed a big difference. It takes a few years.
It should be noted that Adair existed when annexed by Oro Valley.
Again, I suggest research on this topic. Also, I would heed the research performed by other major industrialized nations around the world who will not allow the building of crematories near residences. They must have done their homework!
Relative to crematoria, the EPA which in my opinion should set the standards for use and emissions of same, chooses to opt out of intervention and leaves the variables of 'choices' to more local entities. Why? Because it has to do with death and they do not want to get involved with this type of 'personal' happening.
Unfortunately, as there exists technological advances, especially in the monitoring of the emissions, Oro Valley chose not to
explore those technologies with the aim of forcing the issue into more oversight and continuum transparency.
The essence of the above paragraph
could also have applied to the 'Great Wall of Oro Valley'. As the controlling federal government agency which oversees sound barriers provides that scenic corridors MUST be preserved, while other communal areas have utilized sound buffering glass in order to keep in compliance, Oro Valley, in the interest of a few, chose to ignore potential options for mitigating this in-your-face abomination.
In short, in these matters (as well as others) Oro Valley has taken the easy way out by not exploring all of the OPTIONS available. In this age of technological advances in addition to architectural 'tricks', OV's haste has made a lot of 'waste'.
In addition to the above, I would like to add that the issue of the crematorium has been hashed and rehashed, the health effects examined, re-examined, and the zoning applications, the verbiage - all has been dissected and tossed around like a football. Was Ms. More responsible for all of it (this is who the stream is about, isn't it); I would venture that, once again, as I previously stated, she was "a cog and not the wheel".
I was part of a contingent to try and stop the crematorium from happening. It's here, it wont go away - it's time to move on.
B-b,James and Zev,
James, thank you for your empathy about the crematory.
B-b. a woman with mercury poisoning came to a Town Council meeting to state how radically it changed her life and to urge voters to stop building the crematory near homes. She was a Saddlebrook resident whose husband, a chemist,stated the horrors of its chemical effects. There was a second woman from Saddlebrook with the same diagnosis who also relayed the same information. They came voluntarily. Perhaps, B-b, you might be less cavalier if you heard them describe their personal agonies.
To those homeowners who could not sell because of the economic downturn, the "undersubscribed and under utilized" crematory has limited their exposure. Justice comes in many ways.
A developer who thinks an eight hour course equips him to run a crematory takes the information by the funeral organization at face value and doesn't look deeper. Enough said.
Yes, Zev, while the crematory was built and was not stopped, please factor in that Vistoso Vistas received two additional hits by P&Z, the "Campus Park Industrial" zoning status which the Ryans successfully fought to change, and the Ford Acorn project which far exceeded the zoning regulations, blocking expensive mountain views and potentially depositing industrial waste right in a residential neighborhood.
Three strikes against one subdivision is well over the average. If the residents had felt some empathy or compassion from More's positions, perhaps, these posts would be softer in tone. Neither More nor the former Council nor Attorney nor the Town stepped up to the plate. They were indifferent, oblivious of the health and financail hardship they were authorizing against one little subdivision.
Yes, while More may be only one part of the wheel, if you compare Garner and Latas' individual contributions, they might each be considered "only one part of the wheel". However, no voter would doubt what their position was. They are clear, direct, constituent-oriented even when they don't prevail.
Each individually, in my opinion, does make a difference by taking a stand.
Native Spirit and (all), as you have addressed me selectively in your post I would like to advise you of the following:
When the subject of the Mortuary and Crematorium first reared it's head to MY knowledge, I stopped eating dinner and rushed to the Council meeting and addressed same relative to my opposition to it. Subsequently I spent hours and hours of work on this matter, researching, writing, becoming involved in trying to assist in a legal action and, even prior to the structure being finished, working to at least get the emissions stack hidden as no 'version' had ever appeared on the blueprints or renderings. The end result was not to my satisfaction as it remains a disgusting eyesore atop the building. After my prodding (along, finally, with others), the 'solution' by the owner was allowed to be presented to the RV HOA and was approved architecturally by same. I wrote and had published a letter to the editor of the Explorer and as a result received at 'nut-case' letter from the 'mother' of the complex. I researched, cited, and presented to the attorney who assisted legally, cases in other areas where matters like this were denied; the material I gathered was brushed off as not applicable. The legal attempts failed and I still have my opinions as to the whys of it all. It appears to me that several 'divisions' of Town were responsible for ramming
this matter down the throats of the People.
Now, as to the Zoning that the Ryans fought, I was not involved in that.
When Ford announced his 'change' in 'plans' before Council, after he did so I personally confronted him outside of the chamber in order to suggest some type of accommodation towards those affected by the change; he became belligerent towards me as well as
verbally all those who opposed him, and, along with his architect, mumbled and grumbled about filing suit the next week. In the Council session when he brought his attorneys and threatened to sue ALL, instead of the Council tabling the item until further exploration of his threats they 'caved'. I had no dog in this fight but I proceeded to research the AZ revised statutes and found a clause pertaining to 'loss of real estate value due to...'; I passed this information on to several of the effected residents and, to this day, I do not believe that much followup was done to explore 'recovery'.
What I guess I am saying is that many persons were involved, many persons explored the depths of these issues, many persons spent many hours trying to assist. Since, as far as the Town is concerned, the issue is 'dead', I have advocated 'moving past it'.
Suggestion: start working with the State and the Federal Governments and see where you can get with them; my guess is nowhere but at least you can give it a try.
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