Oro Valley council chooses Concept 2 for Rooney Ranch and directs staff to refine apartment/townhome options
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Summary
After extended public comment and staff presentations, council directed staff to refine ‘Concept 2’ for the former Rooney Ranch town‑center PAD into two tentative development paths (2A apartments, 2B townhomes), include property‑value estimates, and take the plans to neighborhood meetings. Vote: 6‑0 to direct staff.
On Jan. 14, Oro Valley’s Town Council directed staff to advance "Concept 2" as the preferred zoning approach for the undeveloped portions of the Oro Valley Town Center PAD (the former Rooney Ranch) and to prepare two refined alternatives — Concept 2A (apartments) and Concept 2B (townhomes/ownership options) — for neighborhood meetings and further entitlement work.
Principal Planner Michael Spathe presented five high‑level concepts and explained tradeoffs: commercial viability depends on site geometry and ADOT access, and multifamily developers repeatedly advised that roughly 12–15 contiguous acres are typically required to make conventional apartment development viable. Spathe and Planning Manager Bayar Vela told council that Kitchell (the Area 2 property owner) flagged steep utility and grading costs and described Area 2 as "financially unfeasible" to develop without significant infrastructure investment.
Public comment came from Kristen Sharp, president and CEO of the Oro Valley Chamber of Commerce, who urged zoning that increases commercial opportunities and long‑term revenue for the town. Vice Mayor Barrett pressed staff on whether the new concepts matched a prior council direction to designate Area 3 as Neighborhood Commercial Office and asked for clearer value estimates. Spathe said the motion earlier had required designation as Neighborhood Commercial Office and staff had tried to honor the council’s intent while reflecting developer feedback on viability.
Mayor moved and council approved a motion directing staff to: advance Concept 2; prepare a tentative development plan with two alternative product types (2A apartments and 2B townhomes); remove the first‑floor commercial requirement for multifamily in Area 3; reserve Area 4 for open space and trails; identify a new right‑in/right‑out access point on Oracle Road subject to ADOT approval; require any rezoning of Area 2 to be approved by that property owner; and provide estimates of property value for both refined concepts. The motion passed with the ayes recorded as 6‑0.
Next steps: staff will refine concept footprints, work with Kitchell and other developers on technical feasibility (utilities, ADOT access, grading costs), prepare tentative development plans and conditions, provide ballpark appraisals/value estimates, and present refined materials at neighborhood meetings and subsequent public hearings in April–May.
