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In a recent communication, the Town’s Parks and Recreation Director, Kristy Diaz-Trahan, replied to a question regarding why the Town was not considering the purchase of the Rancho Vistoso Golf Course to use as a public park. Ms. Diaz-Trahan responded by quoting the Rancho Vistoso Planned Area Development (PAD) document regarding park amenities. This document was written in 1987 and noted that:
“Rancho Vistoso is envisioned as a totally self-sufficient community, including residential used as all types, neighborhood and community shopping and retail, schools, parks, churches, natural open space, a trail system, a resort hotel, a Town Center, an adult community and an office park.”
Ms. Diaz-Trahan erroneously uses this 1987 vision statement for Ranch Vistoso as justification to dismiss a citizen-driven proposal for a nature preserve and community trail in the stunning location that was once one of the top 100 public golf courses in America. Further, the Town’s park survey asks nothing about recreation areas north of Tangerine and solely focuses on existing parks, making it appear as though the people who live in Rancho Vistoso (over 8,000) are not part of Oro Valley.
A comparable illustration
To illustrate why Ms. Diaz-Trahan’s approach is misguided, see if you can name the location envisioned in this PAD:
“The activity center is planned as a high end retail development to support the vision of the Town of Oro Valley in creating a technology-driven economy. The center will accommodate a range of distinct and complimentary land uses that are physically and functionally integrated. "XXX" will include pedestrian and site amenities such as courtyards, shaded seating areas, pedestrian mall(s), landscaping, and an integrated pedestrian circulation system. Functionally, the center will accommodate a range of differing but complimentary land uses and be designed with amenities and architectural elements to reflect the quality development Oro Valley attracts. "
Now replace the "XXX" with Steam Pump Village, which contains NO courtyards, NO shaded seating areas, NO integrated pedestrian circulation system, and NO pedestrian mall. What was supposed to be a high end development instead contains a QT gas station and a 3-story storage facility. The actual development is NOTHING like it was envisioned in the PAD description. Likewise, in the case of Rancho Vistoso, the “park” amenities they actually have access to are far less useful than was once envisioned.
Dismissing public input
In all fairness to Ms. Diaz-Trahan, she works for Town Manager, Mary Jacobs. My observations are that Ms. Jacobs has consistently shown a disregard for public input that is not in line with her thinking. As an example of how Ms. Jacobs operates from a predetermined agenda, when the Town Council was struggling to reconcile the financial deficits associated with the Town-owned golf courses, she illogically informed the Council that 36 holes of golf are cheaper to operate than 18 holes. It now appears that she will not even consider applying for grant funds that could help solve the ongoing issue with the Vistoso golf property. To be clear, in light of the ongoing pandemic and its effect on the town budget, I do not believe that Oro Valley could afford to purchase this property during this budget cycle, but the citizens who live in Rancho Vistoso deserve a fighting chance to save a community that represents 25% of Oro Valley, in population as well as in revenue.
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