Oro Valley council overrules P&Z, grants Church of the Nazarene conditional 36‑foot height

Oro Valley, Ariz. — The Oro Valley Town Council voted unanimously April 2 to overrule a January Planning and Zoning Commission decision and grant the Oro Valley Church of the Nazarene a conditional building‑height increase to a maximum of 36 feet.

The vote followed a lengthy public hearing that drew roughly 200–230 people into the council chambers and overflow rooms and divided longtime neighbors and church members. The council’s action allows a higher sanctuary/multipurpose building but requires the church to submit a development plan and follow required neighborhood‑meeting and staff review processes before any construction permits are issued.

The approval concluded a two‑part agenda item. Council first rejected an applicant request to continue the hearing for eight months, a motion that failed 4–3. After taking up the appeal, the council then voted to overturn the Planning and Zoning Commission’s denial and approve a conditional 36‑foot height increase, including staff‑recommended conditions numbered 1, 2 and 4. Mayor Joseph C. Winfield made the motion to overrule the commission; Council Member Green seconded it. The final tally on the height motion was 7–0.

Why it mattered: The dispute centered on whether the council should consider the church’s requested height now or require the applicant to submit a concurrent development plan that would include traffic, parking, grading, drainage and detailed architecture. Town staff and some council members said those development‑plan elements are tightly linked to seating capacity and building massing; neighbors said they do not want large‑scale expansion in a residential area. Church leaders and supporters said the expansion is needed to serve a growing congregation and community programs.

Applicant presentation and compromise John Gillespie of Rose Law Group, representing the church, told council his client intended to present a development plan alongside a height request if given more time but offered to reduce the requested maximum height during the hearing. Gillespie said combining the height request with a development plan “makes the most sense for all parties involved” because traffic, parking and seating are interrelated. The church later offered 36 feet as a compromise figure and committed to additional neighborhood outreach and the…