About 100 residents attended the second of two "Neighborhood Meetings" regarding the Beztak's General Plan Amendment Request for rezoning the Ford Property. The request is rezone this property from business commercial office to multi-family residential.
Also in attendance were Council Persons Hornat, Waters, Solomon and Gillaspie. Planning and Zoning Commissioner Don Cox also attended.
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The purpose of this meeting was to inform residents of the Neighboring community regarding the request. It was not to discuss the specifics of the proposed project since there is no decision to be made on the project itself. It was not to discuss the specific zoning of the property.
The decision is whether the Town of Oro Valley should amend its General Plan to allow this apartment use.
The residents asked many pointed questions. One even presented their own Traffic Study of the neighborhood. Unfortunately, many of the questions related to the project itself, which may or may not be the project that is actually proposed once an amendment is approved. In other words, the Developer could propose a 300 unit 34' Tall three-story apartment complex. Yes. The town could refuse this but Beztak, with is history of suing the Town of Oro Valley to get its way, may not stop at "No".
The time to stop this nonsense is now.
Focusing on the General Plan, I asked the Developer on what basis they felt that the Town should break its promise to the citizens of Oro Valley regarding the use of this property. The general plan was a document that was created with much citizen input, after years of discussion. It was voted upon by the citizens of Oro Valley. Therefore, any change should be for exceptional, compelling reasons.
The response I received was that "times have changed".
Our our response is: Hogwash. There is no compelling reason for the Town of Oro Valley to amend its General Plan to accommodate the wishes of a developer
The general plan is a governing document of our vision of a community of excellence, not one of mediocrity. The goal of setting this land aside for commercial office was to attract high paying jobs to Oro Valley so that Oro Valley would not simply be a bedroom community of Marana and Tucson.
Land used for this high-density residential purpose will forever take this land out of service. This land is ideally situated in the hear to the planned Oro Valley non retail business area. Yes. Times have changed; but the economy will improve. Businesses will expand.
Our Council would best serve the citizens of Oro Valley by helping the town attract these high quality businesses.
Let us not forget our promise to our citizens and abide by the vote of the people.
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7 comments:
Excellent assessment of the situation! Thanks for keeping everyone so well informed.
After you left, David Williams (Planning Div Mgr)asked for a show of hands from those who wished to retain the current Campus Ofc Park (COP) zoning. While I couldn't see the rows behind me, I believe all hands went up. He then asked who favored the apartments. Not a soul!
This prompted Councilman Steve Solomon to suggest that homeowners notify Town Council of their issues via email, letters, petitions & attendance at future meetings. He cautioned that people should be specific & explain why they are opposed to the apartments (i.e. traffic, safety, etc.) Also state any preference for current land use zoning over the apartments.
Town Council needs to stick with their 2011 Economic Development Plan & recruit businesses that will bring jobs & revenues to the community. Oro Valley residents are weary of broken promises from all levels of government!
Thank you for your kind words, Shirl.
We will always stand with our neighbors.
I am pleased by Councilman Solomon's suggestion. As I have previously commented, his vote on this, if it ever comes to that, will be critical. He is going to run for election to Council this March. There are many votes in your community. I doubt that he would want to lose those votes. It would be political suicide for him.
Please do let your neighbors know that our blog is here for them.
It is a great place for honest dialogue.
Zee Man,
I can't tell you how many emails I've sent out already referring RV neighbors to your site. Lots of favorable comments come back & some folks are now using this as a forum to share their thoughts as well.
Two more comments from me: 1) HOA is FINALLY going to distribute some info to homeowners concerning the proposed projects on Parcel 7-1 & Ford properties. Several of us had requested this prior to the recent newsletter but they opted to ignore us. I guess they were sick of hearing residents complain that they knew nothing about this. duh Homeowners should email HOA website & ask to be included on their email list if that is their preferred method of communication.
2)Did Beztak really think we could be swayed from our opinions with cookies?
Oro Valley General Plan Amendment
Many Oro Valley homeowners, citizens and interested parties attended the September 24, 2011 and October 10, 2011 neighborhood meetings to hear about a proposed amendment to the Oro Valley General Plan by a developer, Beztak. The meeting I attended on October 10, 2011 had a Question/Discussion item on its agenda.
Many people complained about the lack of public notification of the meetings. The legal requirement to notify residents is normally 600 feet from the site and in this case it was expanded to 1000 feet. This caused very few residents to be notified about the meetings. Also, the posting on the Town Web Site about the meetings did not allow proper access.
Perhaps over 40-50 questions were asked (at the October 10, 2011 meeting) and a lively discussion of issues and concerns took place. No time limit on discussion was enforced. There was an attempt to discuss and answer these questions and opinions as much as possible (some interchange). A straw vote of the audience with a show of hands was taken at the conclusion of the meeting. Did anyone favor the amendment to the general plan? No one raised their hand!
The moderator said that the neighborhood meetings have been concluded. He stated that the next public discussion of the proposed amendment to the General Plan would continue at the Planning and Zoning Committee meetings currently scheduled on November 1 (Town Hall Chambers) and November 15 (Church of the Nazarene, Calle Concordia). The Planning and Zoning Committee will pass on their findings to the Town Council meeting for consideration sometime in December 2011.
The agenda format for the Planning and Zoning Committee Meetings usually state whether that agenda item (in this case a general plan amendment) is a public meeting. This means anyone who submits a blue card to speak will be allowed 3 minutes by the chair to offer a statement about the proposed general amendment. Unlike a neighborhood meeting there is no immediate feedback or interchange by any member of the Planning and Zoning Committee or Town Staff. At the conclusion of all the public speakers any Planning & Zoning committee member may offer their views on the proposed general plan amendment. Motions and votes may follow.
The agenda for the Town Council Meetings usually follow a similar format as to whether that agenda item (in this case a general plan amendment) is a public meeting. This means anyone who submits a blue card to speak will be allowed 3 minutes by the Mayor to offer a statement about the proposed general amendment. Unlike a neighborhood meeting there is no immediate feedback or interchange by any member of the Town Council or Town Staff. At the conclusion of all the public speakers any member of the Town Council may offer their views on the proposed general plan amendment. Motions and votes may follow.
This is why any feedback, studies, analysis, petitions, etc. should be mailed or emailed to members of the Planning and Zoning Committee or Mayor and Council as soon as possible. If possible, you may wish to phone or visit with these committee members or Mayor and Council. Otherwise, you feedback to the Town will be a trifle one-sided!
John Musolf
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Matt Michaels, Oro Valley Senior Planner, sent us a document which is "the issues summaries from last night’s neighborhood meeting as well as the September 20 neighborhood meeting."
Click here to retrieve this document.
If this is not your understanding of the issues, please email Matt with your comments.
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Zee, Shirl,John,
Having attended meetings for 7-1, Oracle/First, Rulney and Beztak, the response of the homeowners is consistent: incomplete or inadequate notice to residents. A gentleman at 7-1's second meeting reported that TOV misrepresented the residents' views. Indeed, until Chairperson Cox "found" his blue card, he was not called on to speak.
TOV acknowledges they need to "study" the issue, but between the first and second meeting with Beztak's neighborhood, little additional information was offered. They showcased the developer's need to speak to the group and shortcut the residents feelings about the project. A map of crime incidents in OV was displayed, but at Rulney it was qualified as "property" crime and did not include DV issues and murder. The one place consistently posted on the Police Blotter is OV Marketplace. However, on this diagram it drew only faint indication, suggesting inaccuracies.
Rulny's representative stated that HSL did a study on River Road that indicated a 93% occupancy rate for apartments. A resident reported that she called four complexes in OV and the average was 90%. To apply the needs of River Road residents to OV, in my opinion, is incorrect. The populations of both areas are distnct as are their needs. The real estate market is hard pressed right now and may "color" their stats. Rental houses are available for fees comparable to apartments. Keeping houses occupied protects the quality of life in OV.
If Ross Rulney keeps his promise to his residents, he froze the height of the apartments to two stories, lowered the number of units he would build from 240 to 214, and asked them for input with the archietect's design and amenities they wanted, adding he would make that a contractual agreement. How different that is from the others!
Keeping the vision of the General Plan was key for each development.
In the words of our deceased neighbor and blogger Zev Cywan, "Oro Valley has lost its soul".
Please educate me. Is Mr. Rulney asking for a General Plan Amendment.
If so , where is the property and what is he proposing.
I have been out of touch for a while
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