---
The following two paragraphs are a direct quote form the Oro Valley General Plan:
"The purpose of the Plan is to provide basic direction and guidance to all elected and appointed officials, employees, and residents of the Town in their decision making process.
We intend that the Plan be followed and consistently applied unless and until conditions in the community have changed to the extent that the plan requires amendment or modification. When conditions warrant that the Plan be modified, such amendments are subject to the process and approval set forth in the plan according to Arizona law and the Town of Oro Valley amendment process."
The General Plan is a document that is ratified by the Citizens of Oro Valley. This document provides the CITIZEN’S vision for their town. Code is directed by the General Plan.
To amend the General Plan takes a super majority of the Council (5 votes). Amending the Plan is difficult, as it should be. The problem is that we have a super majority sitting on our council who do not care for the wishes and desires of its Citizens. They will sit during the public meeting process and the Call To The Audience and then immediately move to disregard all citizen input and go forward with their own agenda. This was true during the Coyote Run process and the Utility Tax process.
The General Plan already calls for 1525 acres or 3.4% of the land to be zoned for High Density Residential. These designations are in areas where it is compatible for high density dwellings. The corner of Innovation Commerce Loop and Rancho Vistoso Blvd. is NOT compatible for high density residential. If Beztek desires to build apartments, there is plenty of other land available in Oro Valley for their project.
This project, if approved, is a slap in the face of every citizen of Oro Valley. The citizens do not want apartments built on this land.
Will the Council be responsive to the Citizens or the Special Interest groups? Unfortunately, since the best indicator of future behavior is past behavior, the Special Interest Groups are destined to win again.
Mike Zinkin
---
2 comments:
Zee and Mike,
You both address the citizen's adoption of the General Plan in 2005 and that it takes a major majority of Council, ie 5 votes to amend it.
This question surfaced: how many citizens might the Five disregard if they decide to change it?
According to the election results for the General Plan:
Votes cast: 8912
Yes 6788 or 76.28%
No 2111 or 23.72%
CPI teaches that the General Plan is created with lengthy study gathering input and research and therefore, it is revisited infrequently at 15 year intervals. The next Plan vote will resurface in 2020. The Plan's designers built in room for rare exceptions, ie "exceptional exceptions". Ford/Beztak hardly qualifies to me.
If the Five continue to think in their bubble, safely immune from constituent input, and vote to amend the Ford property, they will alienate and offend 6788 or 76.28% of OV voters. Sounds like political suicide to me!
Say, Mike,
Whatever happened to that 65' hotel proposed for building opposite OV Hospital on Inno Park Drive? A hotel is considered high density isn't it? How about Beztak bidding for that?
Post a Comment