Council approves Tangerine Road easement for apartment developer after bike-path and drainage concerns

The Oro Valley Town Council on Aug. 13 approved Resolution R25-44 authorizing acceptance of easements that will allow Oro Valley Lifestyle Center LLC (HSL affiliate) to construct private improvements in the Tangerine Road right of way related to a proposed apartment project.

Councilmember Robb had pulled the item to allow public visibility and to raise questions about grading and trail connections. Town engineer Paul Keesler explained that the applicant proposed moving the approved entrance farther west to avoid crossing a concrete drainage channel; staff told council the revised entrance provides better queuing and safety by moving away from the functional limit of left-turn lanes on Tangerine.

Keesler summarized the traffic analysis: “At looking at it very, very conservatively, they came up with 66 seconds” for a car to pass through the gated entrance, and “8 cars every 15 minutes” could arrive during a peak period, which equates to roughly “200 feet of queuing.” He said staff and the applicant settled on a conventional turnaround in front of the gated entrance to avoid the risk of that remote area becoming informal parking.

Council members pressed about cycling access and the design of nearby trail connections. Councilmember Nicholson and Vice Mayor Barrett asked whether an S-curve could replace a right-angle turn for the bike path; Keesler and the applicant’s engineer, David Little, said topography and grading constrained options but they would work to soften turns and meet minimum radii. “We’ll just work with the applicant and the ADOT minimum radiuses … and make sure those get incorporated so that we can fix those right angles,” Keesler said. Council added language asking that the “right angle turns of the bicycle lane be softened.”

Keesler said the easements requested are non‑exclusive and that the property owner would be required to move or repair improvements should the town later need the right of way for utilities or public work.

Applicant Mike Sensky, president of HSL Construction Services, told council the developer intends to begin permitting and start the project within about 30 days. “We would like to start in the next 30 days,” Sensky said.

Council also confirmed the applicant will pay for the improvements and that native-plant preservation standards must be met for any disturbed areas. After discussion, the council approved the resolution; the motion included the requested language about softening bicycle turns and passed without recorded opposition.

The action allows the developer to proceed with detailed engineering, subject to building permits and the town’s standard requirements for right-of-way work and environmental protections.