2015 General Plan: Public Participation Will Be Key

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Arizona cities and towns are required to have a general plan. Oro Valley's general plan was ratified by the voters in 2005. It took two elections to get it passed.  The state requires that  general plans that be updated every 10 years ( Arizona Revised Statutes 9-146.06).    Oro Valley's next update is due in 2015.   This new plan will replace the 2005 plan.   It must be ratified by the voters.    You will have a chance to do so in 2016.

The update to the general plan matters to you. This is because the general plan sets certain items in stone; for example, how land is to be used.  Oro Valley is today a much different community than it was 2005.   Our population has increased dramatically. There is more business in town.   Oro Valley is no longer a little hamlet that is part of Pima County. In fact,  Oro Valley is one of Pima County's growth engines.


This week, the Oro Valley Planning and Zoning Commission will discuss a general plan public participation plan.   A 16-member general plan scoping committee and an eight person town staff team created this participation plan.  The scoping committee included council members Joe Horn and Mike Zinkin  and approximately 2 members of most town commissions and boards.

The intent of the participation plan is "...to provide the community and stakeholders with diverse and meaningful opportunities for engagement.  (Page 4)

We don't know the nature and number of changes that will occur in the new plan.  We do know, however, that the town is very different today than it was in 2005.  We know that there are many people now living here who were not here at the time of the last plan.

The Scoping Committee does expect the plan to change:  "... on a scale of 0 (no change) to 5 (major change), the expected level of effort is approximately a 3." (Page 5)

It may be that  discussions around the 2015 plan will be about our way of life today and the one we envision tomorrow.  "The focus of the current General Plan is on preserving a “suburban/resort community,” and as we move forward with the update, there may be greater appreciation for a “full-service community” that includes employment centers, commercial services and housing choices."   (Page 4)

Therefore, your vigilance and participation will be required in this next planning cycle. You will want to be involved because there will be something that arises from that plan that will have a significant impact on you.

"The Quality of Life of Oro Valley did not happen by accident. The General Plan “does matter”."(General Plan Scoping Committed Document-Page 17)
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