$13,000 to begin to create CDO Multi-Use Path connectivity
Tonight, the Town of Oro Valley Town Council will consider a small land acquisition. The acquisition is needed so that the town can connect the CDO multi-use path to Greenock Drive. Eventually, from there. the plan is to create a path to Kreigh Park. It is part of the town’s $25 million (now $43 million) Parks Bond Project. The amount of the land acquisition is $13,000. The land to be purchased is not the entire land needed across the wash, but it is a start.
Tonight, the Town of Oro Valley Town Council will consider a small land acquisition. The acquisition is needed so that the town can connect the CDO multi-use path to Greenock Drive. Eventually, from there. the plan is to create a path to Kreigh Park. It is part of the town’s $25 million (now $43 million) Parks Bond Project. The amount of the land acquisition is $13,000. The land to be purchased is not the entire land needed across the wash, but it is a start.
This trail connection is the only bond project that directly benefits those who live south of the CDO wash. Because of geography, they have no direct trail connectivity to the multi-use path or to any town amenity north of the CDO Wash. They gain no direct benefit from the golf courses’ irrigation replacement and the community center tennis court replacements unless they are paid members of the Community Center. Most of these residents are not.
They will get no benefit from Naranja Park, because they are far from it. They will get no benefit from an anticipated entertainment center in Oro Valley Village Center (formerly known as the Oro Valley Marketplace.) They are far from that. They get no benefit from the now town-owned Vistoso Preserve. They are far from that.
Should be a slam dunk but…
One would hope that authorizing Town staff to move forward with this purchase would be a slam dunk. But given the disastrous bond spending overrun on the golf courses, the tennis courts and the Naranja Park projects, one wonders if the council will flinch and not approve this modest amount; instead, choosing to defer it to “who knows when.”
The reason we say this is that Mayor Winfield stated two weeks ago that the town could delay doing anything on the trail extension to Kreigh Park. Last year, he “nixed” a Parks and Recreation plan concept to connect the multi-use path to Riverfront Park. The council has also ignored an opportunity to expand Kreigh Park. The town owns land that was given to it by the Amphi School District that it can use to expand the park; but it’s chosen not to do so even though it is detailed in the 2021 Parks and Recreation Master Plan.
Neither the mayor nor any council member lives south of the CDO Wash. They don’t live in the original section of Oro Valley. They probably don’t recognize that the town has invested little in this area since rebuilding the aquatic center ten years ago.
At the same time, they seem to not be paying attention to the rapid development in this area of town. There is an Avilla Homes rental property being built in the area. There is the hill ordinance exception being requested to build 45 high density residential homes as we reported Monday. There is a recently completed storage facility. There is the Oro Valley Church of the Nazarene (“OVCN”) mega sports complex request that is going to be heard at some point. All of these projects are turning this section of Oro Valley into a mini-city, something that was never intended when Oro Valley was founded.
There is only one connection to the multi use path for those who live in this area’ and that is at the very end of a small residential section that is hardly accessible to anyone. It would really be nice for the town to step up and show that they have some interest in helping the residents of our community who likely will never benefit from the $43 million is being spent in Parks and Recreation funding.
The reason we say this is that Mayor Winfield stated two weeks ago that the town could delay doing anything on the trail extension to Kreigh Park. Last year, he “nixed” a Parks and Recreation plan concept to connect the multi-use path to Riverfront Park. The council has also ignored an opportunity to expand Kreigh Park. The town owns land that was given to it by the Amphi School District that it can use to expand the park; but it’s chosen not to do so even though it is detailed in the 2021 Parks and Recreation Master Plan.
Neither the mayor nor any council member lives south of the CDO Wash. They don’t live in the original section of Oro Valley. They probably don’t recognize that the town has invested little in this area since rebuilding the aquatic center ten years ago.
At the same time, they seem to not be paying attention to the rapid development in this area of town. There is an Avilla Homes rental property being built in the area. There is the hill ordinance exception being requested to build 45 high density residential homes as we reported Monday. There is a recently completed storage facility. There is the Oro Valley Church of the Nazarene (“OVCN”) mega sports complex request that is going to be heard at some point. All of these projects are turning this section of Oro Valley into a mini-city, something that was never intended when Oro Valley was founded.
There is only one connection to the multi use path for those who live in this area’ and that is at the very end of a small residential section that is hardly accessible to anyone. It would really be nice for the town to step up and show that they have some interest in helping the residents of our community who likely will never benefit from the $43 million is being spent in Parks and Recreation funding.
