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Council directs staff to refine Rooney Ranch Town Center plan into options focused on viability
Summary
After lengthy debate about commercial viability and citizen value, council directed staff to refine Concept 2 for the Town Center PAD into two variants — 2A (apartments) and 2B (townhomes) — and to prepare a tentative development plan and ballpark value estimates to present at neighborhood meetings.
The Oro Valley Town Council on Jan. 14 directed staff to refine the zoning concept for the undeveloped portions of the Oro Valley Town Center PAD (the former Rooney Ranch property) into a development-ready plan focused on realistic market viability and options for homeownership.
Following a staff presentation of five zoning concepts, the Chamber of Commerce president Kristen Sharp urged the council to prioritize commercial development that generates jobs and local revenue. Staff and developers (Kitchell and Bourne) advised the council that a contiguous minimum of roughly 12–15 acres is typically required for viable multifamily apartment projects and that slope, bridge and utility costs make some commercial concepts cost-prohibitive.
Vice Mayor Barrett argued the designs did not follow the council’s earlier motion — specifically the desire to designate Area 3 as neighborhood commercial office and seek a 50/50 balance — and asked for value estimates to demonstrate the benefit to citizens. Planning Manager Bayard Vela and staff explained that Area 2 (Kitchell-owned) may be financially unfeasible without significant infrastructure and that concept 2 was the option developers were most receptive to.
Mayor Winfield moved — and council approved 6–0 — a direction to staff to proceed with Concept 2 and to refine it into Concept 2A (apartments) and Concept 2B (townhomes), prepare a tentative development plan for neighborhood meetings, remove the first-floor commercial requirement for multifamily in Area 3, designate Area 4 as open space/trails, pursue a new ADOT right-in/right-out at the southern end (subject to ADOT approval), and include estimates of property value for both concept variants. The motion also instructs staff that any rezoning change to Area 2 must be approved by the property owner.
