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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPackets - Planning and Zoning Commission (213)The Avilla Rancho Vistoso Project 1. Who benefits from this project? In an earlier presentation this year, the Developers claimed the Avilla project would provide housing for workers at the Oro Valley Hospital and Innovation Drive. Their recent presentation (November 9, 2023) emphasizes high end rental units with fancy swimming spas for older people who would like to sell their homes and move into rental units. They cite a 2020 study by the Town of Oro Valley which discussed the need of housing for younger workers frozen out of the current housing market. Do they now claim that high end rentals are the answer to their needs as well? The presentations are sales pitches to prospective tenants. At no point do the Developers discuss any benefits to current residents of Oro Valley or the Town; nor do they address the negative effects on residents in the immediate neighborhood: increased congestion, accidents, restricted accessibility, and the resulting pressure on property values. 2. Economics The world has changed dramatically over the last few years. Since the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989-90 we have been in an era of globalization, deflation, low interest rates, and growth. Now, with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the resumption of war in the Middle East, and increasing frictions with China, we are facing a war-time economy. All this has resulted in re-shoring of manufacturing, rising labor costs, higher defense costs, inflation. The national budget racks up a trillion dollars in deficits a year, driving up interest rates and impacting the Nation’s credit ratings. Climate change and border security are additional existential threats. Under the circumstances, the economic foundations of this proposal are not clear. Many homeowners refinanced their homes at low interest rates during the pandemic and are not affected by current mortgage rates, which recently topped 8%. They are reluctant to sell their current homes, and moving to a rental unit exposes them to the increased risk of inflation. Younger working people, frozen out of the housing market due to high prices and high interest rates, are hardly attracted to high rental rates when they want to save money for a down payment to buy a home. 3. Environmental Considerations The Developers claim Oro Valley is `underdeveloped’. Does that justify replacing vegetation with concrete, asphalt, and automobiles wherever possible? Vegetation keeps the land cooler and allows the soil to retain moisture. Concrete, asphalt and buildings retain heat, raise the surrounding temperature; and the resulting updrafts cause rain clouds to move away. The land lying between Woodburne and Tangerine is a riparian area, and has substantial vegetation. What is the justification for re-zoning this particular piece of land for High Density rental property? High density housing makes sense in an urban environment with mass transit. It is incompatible with a suburban community where automobiles are the primary mode of transportation, and the majority of residences have multiple vehicles. 4. Rancho Vistoso/Woodburne Intersection In 2003, when we purchased our home, Tangerine and First were 2 lanes; the Oro Valley hospital had not been built; the shopping center on the Southwest intersection of Tangerine and First did not exist. One of the reasons we bought the home was that there were sidewalks and we could walk to the Safeway store. Over the years I have walked or ridden my bike to that center, not only to get to Safeway, but to several of the restaurants, to meet someone for coffee, etc. I also ride my bike down First to the Mall, or along the bike trail, which crosses Tangerine and First and goes to the Mall along Oracle, or in the other direction to the Post Office or Library. The only outlet from our home is via Woodburne Avenue. It is the main thoroughfare for a sizable residential area that includes the Golder Ranch Fire station, the LDS Church, and Painted Sky Elementary School. Although traffic has increased substantially over the years due to all the development, we are still able to get onto Rancho Vistoso with our car, or walk to the Safeway shopping center. I am still able to ride my bike down to First and Tangerine and get onto the bike trail. In past years the Tour de Tucson has run down Rancho Vistoso and turned West onto Tangerine. As Oro Valley has built up over the years, traffic and accidents in the immediate vicinity of the Safeway shopping center have increased noticeably. Accidents at Rancho Vistoso and Tangerine declined sharply after the traffic lights were reset to hold on red both ways for several seconds before changing. From our perspective the only “problem” is that in rush hour we have to wait a few seconds longer to turn from Woodburne onto Rancho Vistoso, or from Rancho Vistoso onto Woodburne. The developers propose to build two parcels, East (5-U) and West (7-1) of Rancho Vistoso, with the constraint that tenants of both projects be able to head both north and south on Rancho Vistoso. They propose to accomplish this by introducing numerous obstacles to the traffic flow, to wit: rerouting Woodburne, and installing additional stop signs; installing an additional intersection on Rancho Vistoso, with a traffic light; and extending the Rancho Vistoso Boulevard Divider across the intersection at Woodburne. The project would inject an additional 300 or so vehicles (owned by the tenants) smack into the eye of the storm. The plan would not only introduce numerous inconveniences to current residents; but would create considerable logistical problems in the parking lot of the Safeway shopping center. 5. Summary The developers’ plan amounts to fitting a square peg in a round hole; and discounts the consequences of increased traffic congestion, as well as those of climate change, and the resultant degradation of Oro Valley and affected neighborhoods. The request to rezone the land as High Density Residential precludes a future plan which would make a more harmonious use of the property. The proposal to rezone the area to High Density should be rejected, and the Oro Valley Town Council should proceed, via “Oro Valley’s Path Forward”, to engage residents, businesses, and developers of Oro Valley in a dialog about the town’s future, including land use, mass transit, high density, water, and the increasing risks of climate change.