General Plan Amendment: Only townhomes on Oracle site | News

Townhomes — but no apartments — could be built on a 13.94-acre parcel of land just east of Oracle Road, the Oro Valley Town Council has decided.

In approving a general plan amendment and a planned area development on May 6, the council opted for 1- and 2-story townhome buildings not to exceed 30 feet in height on the land now owned by the town.

The parcel, within the 141-acre Oro Valley Town Center PAD, sits east and south of the commercial center anchored by CVS Pharmacy at First and Oracle. It could accommodate between 105 and 115 townhomes.

With its decision, the council rejected a staff-presented option that would have allowed between 225 and 300 apartments in 2- and 3-story buildings on that land.

Councilmember Josh Nicolson was the sole vote against a motion adopting the overall plan and eliminating the apartment option. He took issue with a lack of flexibility, arguing the town would earn more money — millions more, perhaps — if the land is advertised to allow either apartments or townhomes.

Appraiser Michael J. Naifeh, with the firm Commercial Real Estate Advisors, put a “range of total value” estimate between $4.1 million and $7.1 million for both the apartment and townhome options.

“The value we’re seeing from the appraiser is comparable,” Mayor Joe Winfield said. “I accept the fact the townhome option may not generate perhaps as much money. There is a greater need for townhomes, and that would be supported by more residents than apartments.”

“The citizens want to see more ownership properties in the missing middle” of Oro Valley’s housing portfolio, Vice Mayor Melanie Barrett said. “They do not want to see apartments.” 

Town Planning Manager Bayer Vella said the townhome option has generated interest in the development community.

“Potential developers are very supportive of townhomes,” Winfield said. “And that would be supported by the majority of residents.”

Nicolson suggested a developer might buy the land for townhomes “on the cheap, and then they’re going to seek rezoning for apartments.” He called for some form of deed restriction to mandate townhomes. And Nicolson suggested the town advertise the parcel for sale, rather than offer it at auction, because public auctions may net less money.

“The taxpayers lose out,” Nicolson said. “That’s why I’m not for it.”

Planning and Zoning Recommended both housing options

The previous night, at the Oro Valley Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, Commissioner Phil Zielinski tried to win recommendation for only townhomes, and not apartments, in the proposed residential space.

Based on his participation in creation of Oro Valley’s next general plan, Oro Valley’s Path Forward, Zielinski concluded “people tend to want ownership, not more rentals,” and that residents don’t like taller buildings.

“Townhomes tend to be lower,” he said. “This is a very special area. The decisions we make now may have some influence in future direction. Townhomes seem to be a good compromise.”

Commissioner Tom Stegman suggested “tying the hands of the town council to restrict what can be built … is not in the best interests of the town.”

  In the end, P&Z recommended both the townhome and apartment options be kept, with Zielinski voting “no.”

‘Set the table’ for sale of land

Designation of land for residential and commercial development within the Oro Valley Town Center should “set the table for future sale of town-owned properties,” principal planner Michael Spaeth told P&Z.

Additionally, the new plan protects 88 acres of open space sweeping into the low ridges of Santa Catalina foothills, adding 25 acres of protected land.

“Those hillsides are so beautiful,” Barrett said. Their protection “was very important to me.”

Gone is an allowance to build 77 single-family homes, as well permission for a hotel up to five stories. Buffer zones between any development and existing residences are being expanded from 100 to 350 feet, keeping development “away from neighbors as much as possible,” Spaeth said.

Within the new plan, total commercial acreage along Oracle Road is expanded from 4.5 to 11.5 acres.

 Building heights in any linear commercial development would be limited to 30 feet, similar to existing buildings. “That’s what we would anticipate seeing down the road, should this be approved,” Spaeth told P&Z members.

Citizens wary of development

At both P&Z and town council, citizens expressed their desire to see most or all of the 113 undeveloped acres preserved as open space.

“This is a very unique and special piece of land,” said Kurt Weirich, a resident of La Reserve. “We’re going to lose something special if we do this.”

The land below Pusch Ridge is “an amazing, sacred space, and the plans I have seen don’t do it justice,” Weirich said. “We don’t need more apartments, we don’t need more strip malls.” And, he said, Oracle Road is “gridlock,” only to slow with more development and resulting traffic.

“I certainly understand the desire to keep this land undeveloped, especially given its location and views,” Winfield said. He shares an appreciation for open space and views, “and it’s certainly something this council has striven to honor in our community.

“At the same time, this is a community asset that we have a responsibility to manage responsibly, and that includes at least in my view generating value that can be reinvested back into our community, such as our future police facility,” the mayor continued. “That’s accomplished while still preserving significant open space.”

Development on some of the land “provides support to existing and potentially new businesses” near the property, Winfield said. “I realize that doesn’t necessarily address your concerns, and I respect your concerns.”

“This is a very careful balance,” Councilmember Mary Murphy told citizens. “I’ve heard what you’re saying.” And, she said, “almost 80% open space” within the 113 acres “is amazing.”