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Council reviews OV Path Forward survey: residents value safety, natural beauty and want more restaurants and a central gathering place
Summary
Staff and consultants presented results from the town's "big community survey": top resident values were safety and mountain views; top concerns were traffic, water and growth; many respondents supported a central gathering area and performing/visual arts center. Council asked for more granularity for land-use tradeoffs.
Town planning staff and consultants on Wednesday presented the results of the Ov Path Forward community survey, an initial stage of the town's 10-year action-planning effort.
Principal Planner Malini Sims said the survey combined a statistically projectable telephone sample with online and in-person event feedback; Sims noted more than 3,000 respondents and said the phone survey is the only method that can be projected to the town population. Consultant Jan Gourdley summarized key takeaways: residents continue to prioritize a low-crime community and natural beauty; recent rises in concern center on traffic, water availability and growth; and a plurality supported a central gathering area that could include a performing and visual arts center.
Several councilmembers asked for additional detail about how the survey combined topics that are difficult to disentangle for land-use decisions (for example, housing versus employment and the tradeoff between more restaurants and fewer new homes). Vice Mayor Barrett and others urged staff to ensure resident working groups and online comments are used to add more detail for decisions later in the process.
Public commenters during the call to audience urged creation of a performing arts center to keep arts activity in Oro Valley rather than sending residents to Tucson. Anna E. Walters, who runs a children's theater academy, said, "Wouldn't it be wonderful if they did not have to drive so far in the future?" The presentation is one of several public engagement steps; staff said the draft vision and guiding principles and the combined online and event comments will be presented in August to the planning commission and council.
Next steps: staff will post the draft background report online and return in August with aggregated online and event comments and the draft vision and guiding principles for the plan.
