Bits and Pieces

Council Member Greene identifies potential major corporate member for Oro Valley Municipal Golf 

Oro Valley Municipal Golf has four corporate members. It needs more. During last week’s council study session on the budget, Council Member Mo Greene told town park’s director Kristy Dias Trahan that the owner of Westward Look told him that he was looking for a place for the resort’s guest to play golf. After along pause (she was dumbfounded) she said that she would follow up. Here’s a “shoutout” to Council Member Greene. 

Oro Valley experiencing exceptional drought conditions…Tucson area is 10% drier

The 20 year drought continues. “The Southwest US has experienced some of the greatest changes with the decadal shift more than 10% drier” according to the national weather service. During this same time period its hotter by about 1/2 degree annually during the past thirty years. We’ve included a panel with map showing the changes in both precipitation and temperature. 

Oro Vista apartment architecture approved 

The expansion of the Oro Vista apartment complex was an administrative approval and not a zoning approval. The property was zoned long ago for apartment use, according to Town Planning and Zoning head Bayer Vella. That is why the item was on the consent agenda. 

Council Member Jones-Ivey made sure that council publicly discussed the item at last weeks’ council meeting. As it turns out, this is item is on the agenda for the approval of the architecture of the property. Council discussed the Planning and Zoning Commission’s request that the stone front of the building as it faces Lambert Lane be increased. The council rejected this. 

Mayor Winfield noted: “I think it is incredibly unfortunate that the view of the Catalinas [from Noble Hops] will be lost” once the facility is built, but the town can not do anything about that since the project was approved by a previous council. Also, the property manager, Beztak, said they would continue to investigate what may be a lack of adequate parking for the commercial property that houses Noble Hops and other establishments once the apartments are built. 

 Council approved the measures 6-0 (Council Member Solomon Absent)

Council To Consider Three Items Tonight That Matter To You

There are three items on tonight’s Oro Valley Town Council meeting agenda that are of particular importance to residents. We have previously reported on the three. Click the links if you want to learn more about each.

Broadening the use of the half percent sales tax

The council will consider broadening the use of the half percent “municipal golf- community center” sales tax subsidy. The resolution if approved, would free dollars from the Community Center Fund to be used to support other parks and recreation uses. This is important to you because it will allow the council to use these funds for activities like the build-out of Naranja Park, improvements at Steam Pump Ranch, and completion of the town’s trails system. These are all top priorities of Oro Valley residents per the survey conducted by the town last year. 

This is not a public hearing. That hearing was held at the last council session. The item had been listed on this agenda as a “hearing”; however, that word is now lined-out in the agenda. It may have been the intention of the town to hold a public hearing; however, it could not provide proper 15-day public notice in the “Daily Territorial” for this to happen.

The council conversation on this should be lively.

Study session on the “Town Manager Recommended Budget”
A study session occurs after the regular meeting adjourns. The session is the council’s first look at the 2021-22 Town Manager Recommended Budget. This session is important to you because it involves how your money will be spent next year. There are two big budget non recurring items. One is a decision on funding a $27million plan to pay down the towns public safety pension liability. The other is a decision on funding $26.7million in parks improvements. This includes municipal golf and community center improvements. Decisions on these and other items will be forthcoming in future meetings. Tonight and continuing tomorrow night, the council will hear about the entire budget. We expect department heads to present their request.

The presentations tonight should be informative.

Expansion of Oro Vista apartments
The expansion of the Oro Vista apartments is for building two two-story buildings built on the dirt lot next to Noble Hops Restaurant, facing Lambert Lane. The lot is currently planned for restaurant use. The request is for council to approve a change to the Master Development Plan for the site area and to approve the conceptual site plan.

The council will only discuss this proposal item if one of them pulls it off the consent agenda. Otherwise, it will get blanket approval. Some, perhaps all of the council members visited the site this past Monday. We will learn what they think tonight.

You can view the full agenda for the meeting here. That also provides a link to the zoom meeting.

Public Hearing Tonight on Apartments at Lambert Lane and La Canada

Public to discuss multi-family building

The town will conduct a second public hearing tonight regarding a potential three story multi-family building ("Apartments") located on Lambert Lane, east of Noble Hops. 

Hearings and eventual council architectural approval are needed before the property can be built. The property is part of the El Conquistador Planned Area Development (“PAD”) that was established in 1983. Apartments are a permitted use in the PAD. 

In addition, the height of the proposed apartments is 36 feet. This exceeds a limit of 24 feet. This limit was determined as part of a 2003 council granted grading exception.  The property was intended for restaurant use.

Plan is to build on south side of lot, away from Lambert Lane

According to Beztak Companies, the applicant and landowner, the site has been vacant for thirteen years. They have had one serious inquiry regarding use of the land for a restaurant in the past seven years. 

The applicant wants to build apartment units on the south side of the property (see panel right). They will be set back from Lambert Lane. There will be one building containing 16 units, with 1 story closest to Lambert on the north; and 3 stories along existing apartments to the south (see panel below).

A unique apartment proposal

This Beztek apartment proposal is one of seven apartment proposals the town is considering or anticipating. It is unique for two reasons. First is its location. Most of the anticipated apartment units are located along Oracle Road. The result would be to cluster apartment residents in one area. They would certainly not be geographically dispersed within the community. This proposal, however, puts the units in another area, promoting diversity of housing physically. Second, the apartments are really an addition to the existing apartments. 

Three primary resident concerns

During a prior hearing those attending voiced concerns in three areas Increase in traffic; parking capacity regarding Noble Hops; and the impact of the building on the view of the Catalina Mountains. The applicant has supposedly addressed these in their latest plans and we will hear more about this tonight. For example, they changed the location of the building and the architecture to set it back from Lambert Lane.  This allows the exposure (from Noble Hops) of the majority of the mountain view. In addition, the new plan is for fewer apartments (from 19 to 16) and for a smaller footprint for the building.

Click this link to learn more about this project and how to participate in this hearing tonight. You can also watch a video describing this project.

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LOVE has written an extensive analysis of potential apartments in Oro Valley. You can read that here.