Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use Infrastructure topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
After lengthy hearing, Tucson council grants two TEP special‑exception requests and extracts conditions; Broadway/Euclid appeal withdrawn
Summary
Following more than an hour of testimony from TEP, neighborhoods and technical volunteers, council granted TEP special exceptions for overhead crossings at Kino & 36th and Oracle & Grant subject to conditions but recorded TEP's withdrawal of its Broadway & Euclid appeal, ending the local administrative process.
The Mayor and Council on Aug. 6 resolved a contested planning question in the six‑year Midtown Reliability Project by granting two of three special‑exception appeals from Tucson Electric Power (TEP) and accepting TEP’s on‑the‑record withdrawal of the Broadway & Euclid appeal.
Background: TEP sought special exceptions to the city’s undergrounding requirements where the proposed 138 kV transmission line crosses major gateway corridors at three perpendicular intersections (Kino & 36th, Broadway & Euclid, Oracle & Grant). City zoning rules generally require underground placement in gateway routes unless narrowly prescribed exceptions apply. TEP argued overhead crossings at the three intersections would reduce visual clutter, retire older poles, and avoid substantial incremental costs and complex underground riser structures. Planning staff had recommended granting the exceptions with conditions; the zoning examiner denied the special‑exception requests, prompting the appeals.
Public hearing and testimony: Dozens of residents, neighborhood associations and technical volunteers testified for more than an hour. Opponents emphasized gateway corridors, historic preservation (noting the Broadway/Euclid entry to downtown and nearby historic districts), potential fire risk from overhead transmission, and the aesthetic and development impacts of large transmission poles. Supporters — including affected neighborhood representatives for the Kino/36th alignment — said they preferred the revised alignment and were willing to accept overhead treatment in that corridor. Technical witnesses pointed to riser structures required for underground crossings (with concrete foundations and above‑ground risers potentially as large as pole structures), and TEP provided a preliminary engineering incremental estimate of roughly $5.9 million to underground one of the intersections (Broadway & Euclid) as a point of comparison.
Council action: After coving legal and practical arguments and hearing public testimony, council members debated options. The council voted to grant TEP’s appeals for Kino & 36th and for Oracle & Grant subject to the staff‑recommended conditions (detailed development package submissions, historic resource protections, utility coordination at no public expense, pole finish requirements, removal of redundant lower‑voltage overhead lines and substations where feasible, and timelines for removals). As part of the motion, TEP confirmed it would withdraw the Broadway & Euclid appeal from the administrative record; that withdrawal was entered on the record during the meeting. The combined motion passed 5–2.
What the decision means: The council’s action authorizes TEP to proceed with overhead crossings at the two approved intersections provided it complies with the specified conditions and coordination requirements; Broadway & Euclid will not be subject to the same administrative relief because TEP withdrew that appeal. The city attorney advised that judicial review remains an option for TEP in superior court, but council’s decision concludes the local administrative appeals.
Next steps: TEP and city staff must coordinate implementation details, route adjustments, required public outreach and the removal/undergrounding of parallel lower‑voltage distribution lines as required by the conditions. Staff will monitor compliance with the imposed timelines and removal commitments.
