Big Wash General Plan Amendment and Rezoning
Wednesday, December 6, 2017 at 6:00 PM
Town Council Chambers, 11,000 N LaCanada Drive
PUBLIC HEARING: Big Wash General Plan Amendment and Rezoning discussion and possible action regarding approximately 108 acres located north of Tangerine Road between the future Moore Road loop on the west and Rancho Vistoso Blvd. on the east. The applicant seeks to change the existing development rights on the property. (Details below under Two New General Plan Amendments.)
The Building Frenzy
The Oro Valley building frenzy that we are all witnessing will continue as long as there is money to be made and as long as Mayor Hiremath and his submissive council are in office. Builders and developers have been feeding at the trough for the past year taking advantage of the passive 7-member pro-development council.
Let’s take a drive
A drive up First Avenue from Oracle Road to Rancho Vistoso Blvd. vividly shows Oro Valley’s new skyline -- Cat and Komatsu bulldozers and tractors framed against our once magnificent view of Pusch Ridge. This has become the new normal with our developer-run town. The picture below shows the grading that is already underway.
• Able to reap tall buildings in a single council meeting
At First and Lambert Lane we see the south entrance to Nakoma Sky, our new assisted living complex. This property will feature a 5-story building that was approved by Mayor Hiremath and Councilmembers Hornat, Snider, and Waters (who received $65,654 in campaign contributions from builders, developers, realtors, and brokers during the 2015 recall election). It was also approved by current councilmember Bill Rodman when he was on the Planning & Zoning Commission.
You can be sure that this 5-story building will set the stage for the introduction of more high-rise structures in Oro Valley to solve the developer “problem” of diminishing buildable land.
• South of Tangerine – Palisades
Further north on First at Naranja Drive we see the main entrance to Nakoma Sky where the natural ridge has been bulldozed for stop light access to the project whose boundary extends east to the CDO wash.
Continuing north towards Tangerine we pass construction and grading on both sides of E. Palisades road. The earth moving is so extensive that E. Palisades has been severed to allow graders free movement north and south across the road. We can only speculate the traffic and access problems these projects will add to our trips.
• North of Tangerine – Moore Road
Crossing Tangerine to Rancho Vistoso Blvd. we see that all the flat ridge lots to the east have been developed.
But at the juncture with Moore Road, a major change is occurring. A traffic light is being installed and Moore Road has been extended into a new development to the east. This is not an access road into another plateau development, but a serious traffic mover. The road curves around the model homes and dips down into big wash where the pavement stops. The roadway continues as a graded entrance for - you guessed it - Cat and Komatsu earth movers now tearing up Big Wash for more homes.
Two new General Plan Amendments
As if this isn’t enough wanton destruction of our once pristine desert surroundings, our “never met a developer they didn’t like” mayor and council will most likely amend our 2016 voter-approved General Plan to rezone Big Wash and Honeybee Wash parcels to change land use and zoning designations for undeveloped parcels loacted along Honeybee Wash and Big Wash. This will allow 408 homes in two additional subdivisions.
The western development will contain 166 homes with minimum 6,000 square foot lots and building heights of 30 feet (two stories). Moore Road will be extended and loop south through the wash back to a point of connection with Arrowsmith Drive.
The eastern development will contain 242 homes at the juncture of Big Wash and Honebee Wash. The development will require its own access road from Rancho Vistoso Blvd. – between Sun City Oro Valley and the Big Wash Bridge – that will loop around the Estates at High Mesa to access the new homes.
View the LOCATION MAP here. View the TENTATIVE DEVELOPMENT PLAN here.
Let’s Make a Deal
The applicant is Paul Oland of the WLB Group. William Walker (owner of WLB) donated $1,000 to the YES on 454 PAC in support of the $17 million dollar Naranja Park Bond that was supported by the mayor and council. As previously reported on LOVE, The WLB Group frequently appears before council to request land use changes, rezoning requests, and grading waivers to accommodate their Oro Valley developments. Since history has shown that the town council always acquiesce to these requests, LOVE has always viewed these developer donations as a Quid pro quo.
It’s time to show up and speak up
Over 100 pages of opposition letters were already submitted to Planning and Zoning for their October 3rd and November 8th meetings. Despite these letters of opposition, P&Z recommended forwarding the application to the council for a vote. Therefore, we urge you to add your voice to the opposition.
Let the council know that residents do not want these General Plan and PAD Amendments and that this rampant development and destruction of nature, wildlife habitat, and our peaceful surroundings has got to stop.
Keep the momentum going
Keep in mind that the recent 71% to 29% defeat of the Naranja Park Bond was a huge blow to the Town Council who had previously convinced themselves that the citizens of Oro Valley are in agreement with the direction in which this council has taken our town.
A large resident turn-out at the December 6th meeting in addition to the recent landslide defeat of the Naranja Park Bond will send them a message that citizens are informed and are tired of being dismissed.
