Study session links roadway safety and possible new marketplaceLast week, the Oro Valley Town Council held a study session on one of the Town’s more difficult traffic areas: the area around Woodburne Avenue, Rancho Vistoso Boulevard, the Safeway northern access, and Tangerine Road. Public Works Director Paul Keesler told council that the Safeway northern access and the Woodburne Avenue/Rancho Vistoso Boulevard intersection have about five to six crashes a year. He said that number has long concerned the Town.
Roadway discussion reminds all of Avilla-era traffic concerns
The last major council discussion of this area occurred during the 2024 review of the Avilla Homes proposal. That proposal was not approved after residents and council members raised traffic and roadway concerns. Last week’s discussion brought back many of those same issues. They included traffic near the Safeway northern access, left turns onto and off Rancho Vistoso Boulevard, the possible use of the Safeway rear access area, the location of a new traffic signal, and traffic backing into travel lanes.
A 2027 lane and roadway reconfiguration plan...
The Town’s current plan is in the 2027 budget. It is to reconfigure the lanes, increase left-turn storage, and to rebuild the median between Woodburne Avenue and the Safeway northern access. One day, the town would like to add a traffic signal there. Staff said the lane changes would address many existing crash factors. Staff also said a future signal would address the remaining safety issues by controlling left turns and reducing the need for U-turns at Woodburne Avenue. Staff identified about $747,000 in impact-fee funding for lane reconfiguration in the proposed capital improvement plan.
Staff was planning this work when they learned of a possible commercial project on the southwest corner of Rancho Vistoso Boulevard and Woodburne Road. It is called Vistoso Marketplace. The concept for includes a Sprouts Farmers Market as the anchor tenant, a retail building, and possible pad uses on the south side of the property.
The project will affect traffic in the area because it will add new commercial activity near an intersection already under review for safety concerns. The project has not yet been submitted as a formal development application. It remains in the early stages. It is being proposed by W.M. Grace Companies.
Residents echo concerns... "Though we're happy with Sprouts..."
Mayor Winfield took the unusual step of accepting audience comments when the study session discussion began. Several residents spoke. Their comments echoed many of the concerns raised years earlier in the Avilla Homes review. They questioned why the item was being discussed before a formal application had been filed. They also urged the Town to consider the full traffic effect of the project and future development in the area before deciding on roadway changes. One resident captured the reaction, saying, “Sprouts, hey, we love Sprouts,” but adding that the full shopping center puts the matter “into a whole different ballgame.”
Key decisions remain ahead
Council did not approve the Vistoso Marketplace project. It did not approve the planned road design. It did not approve a new traffic signal. This was an early discussion of how the Town might address an existing traffic safety problem while also planning for possible commercial development at the same intersection. The central question going forward is whether the Town can improve safety and traffic flow in an area that already has problems, while also accounting for a commercial project that has not yet been formally submitted for review.
Residents echo concerns... "Though we're happy with Sprouts..."
Mayor Winfield took the unusual step of accepting audience comments when the study session discussion began. Several residents spoke. Their comments echoed many of the concerns raised years earlier in the Avilla Homes review. They questioned why the item was being discussed before a formal application had been filed. They also urged the Town to consider the full traffic effect of the project and future development in the area before deciding on roadway changes. One resident captured the reaction, saying, “Sprouts, hey, we love Sprouts,” but adding that the full shopping center puts the matter “into a whole different ballgame.”
Key decisions remain ahead
Council did not approve the Vistoso Marketplace project. It did not approve the planned road design. It did not approve a new traffic signal. This was an early discussion of how the Town might address an existing traffic safety problem while also planning for possible commercial development at the same intersection. The central question going forward is whether the Town can improve safety and traffic flow in an area that already has problems, while also accounting for a commercial project that has not yet been formally submitted for review.
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