Since July of 2011, Pima County has weighed in on a controversial development project proposed for the southeast corner of River and Craycroft roads, citing environmental and safety concerns of the County and the area’s residents. One year later, Pima County’s manager, Chuck Huckleberry, made yet another appeal to the Mayor of Tucson, Jonathan Rothschild, to reconsider the proposed annexation and re-zoning of the area by the City.
In a letter dated yesterday, July 2, the County’s manager writes to the City’s mayor, “Our primary concerns continue to be the lack of actual requirements on the developer to provide the River Park Trail easement, flood control improvements, and traffic improvements directly related to their development impacts.”
City and County statues require that land in the Flood Plain, or the Rillito Wash, must be dedicated to either City or County use prior to, or at the time of, approval of a development project.
Huckleberry advises Rothschild that “a developer in the County unincorporated area proposing the same type of development adjacent to a major watercourse would be required to dedicate the necessary right of way and any land in the watercourse to the County without compensation and would also be required to pay one half the cost of the ban erosion protection.”
According to Huckleberry, the City of Tucson is allowing, the developer, Joe Cesare, to use his “sole discretion” on important environmental issues regarding his Planned Area Development (PAD) proposal
The County had planned to extend River Park Loop Trail along the Rillito and Tanque Verde wash from Craycroft to Sabino Canyon. Cesare says only that he will “consider” dedicating the stretch of land on his PAD for the River Park trail, but only if the County pays for the entire cost of the erosion hazard protection, and grants him other considerations.
In the PAD agreement, Mayor and Council even approved that the developer could select the type of riverbank erosion protection, and did not have to follow the more extensive…and more expensive… riverbank protection recommended by the Army Corps of Engineers.
To do the proper bank protection to accommodate Cesare’s 7-story hotel along the riverbank, the County estimates a $4 million dollar price tag. Cesare and the City want the taxpayers to pick up the tab.
During the zoning hearings Cesare did agree to consider dedicating 70 feet along the Rillito to the River Park Trail, if the City met his conditions. However, the City statutes say there should be a minimum of 100 feet. Under pressure from Dr. Kafka and local civic groups Cesare did finally agree to dedicate 100 feet, if his other conditions were met.
But Janet Marcus, representing the Old Fort Lowell Neighborhood Association, pointed at that same hearing that the additional 30’ were in the Rillito Wash riverbed. The newly appointed Zoning Examiner apparently felt that was sufficient, and allowed this and the developer’s own erosion protection plans, to be accepted.
Residents are puzzled by the City’s haste and lack of concern for the environment. “It remains very clear that the City of Tucson is ignoring serious issues. What will make Tucson wake up and stop this mad rush to annex, and instead, study the proposed development project, annexation, and the concerns of the community in light of all that we have written about and that Mr. Huckleberry has repeatedly addressed to the City mayor and Council? Clearly, gaining additional tax revenue cannot be the only reason.”
The next public hearing on this Annexation and Re-zoning application is July 10, 2012 at 5:30 PM at Mayor and Council Chambers, City Hall, 255 W Alameda Street.
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