Oro Valley Plans Its Future: Three Items For The General Plan

Last month, the Town Of Oro Valley started the process of updating the General Plan.    It will be Oro Valley's blueprint for the future.  The plan will include a vision of things the community would like to see in the future.

Here's our list of three items that we'd like to see included in the general plan.   These are three items that would bring our community together.

The Oro Valley Community Center

Wouldn't it be nice if Oro Valley had a community center?  Something for the people.  It would be a place for the community to gather for various events.  It could include a youth center, a senior center.  and a kids center.  It could include indoor multi use courts for things like basketball, volleyball and badminton.  That would be ideal for use on those very hot summer days.  Perhaps we could even have a youth summer basketball league.   How about youth dances?

The Oro Valley Community Center can be more.  It can be a place of residence for the Oro Valley Parks and Recreation Department.  It could be a place for a community television channel for Comcast.  It could have meeting rooms, booked by local groups and associations.  It could be located next to ball fields.  It could be many things but it will be nothing if we don't define it in the general plan.

The Oro Valley Historical Museum

At present, the recorded history of Oro Valley is being centered around Steam Pump Ranch.  We know that there were plants at one time to create a place to display some of Oro Valley's history there.    The history of our area extends well before the ranch and long since.  Yet, there is no place where our story is told.

There were at least two Native American  settlements in this area before the area was settled by the Pusch family and others.   The settlement years were turbulent.  The settlers and the Native Americans did not always get along.   It was not easy for Oro Valley to become a town.  Did you know that the town's founders had to win a court case against the City of Tucson to become a town.  And, since 1974, the town has a rich history of growth and development; and of some unique characters who became our early leaders.

Oro Valley is growing quickly.   There are many people who move here who know nothing of what preceded them.  Isn't it important to give them an opportunity to learn the history and to understand why we find this place great!

Wouldn't it be nice if the history was gathered together and placed in an Oro Valley Historical Museum.    Isn't it important to do this while some who lived through it are still around to tell the story.

The Oro Valley Business Accelerator

Oro Valley is doing a feasibility study for a business accelerator. We have written about this concept previously.

 "Creating an accelerator in Oro Valley will help us grow our bioscience corridor, Innovation Park, and create additional primary jobs. The Oro Valley Accelerator will allow small startup companies to develop a prototype of their product or its equivalent, i.e. the early clinical data or “mock up” that attracts venture capital investors in their company." (Source)

The accelerator will drive growth in the community.  Some of the businesses will succeed.  These businesses will drive employment in our community.  Their success will spur others to come here to experience similar success.  That will attract even more capital investment to the community.  All this will attract young professionals to want to live here.  This, in turn, will drive the need for things like a community center, and more parks, and yes, even an historical museum.

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That's our list of three items for the general plan.  We think that these three items bring together the disparate elements of our community.  There's something here for all of us, whether we be everyday citizens, history buffs, or business owners.

What are some of your ideas for the general plan?
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