Neighbors press traffic, view and safety concerns over Meritage Homes rezoning proposal in Oro Valley

Michael Spath, principal planner for the Town of Oro Valley, opened a first neighborhood meeting on a proposed rezoning of a 15-acre parcel at the northwest corner of Rancho Vistoso Boulevard and Vistoso Commerce Loop and described the public process that would follow: a formal application, staff review for general-plan and zoning-code conformance, a second neighborhood meeting and public hearings before the Planning & Zoning Commission and Town Council.

Bridal Underwood, principal planner with The Planning Center and the applicant’s representative, said Meritage Homes is under contract for the site and presented a preliminary layout that would rezone the property from Campus Park Industrial to Medium Density Residential to allow up to 64 detached single-family lots. Underwood said the design aims for about 4.2 homes per acre and larger typical lot footprints (about 45 by 120 feet, or roughly 5,400 square feet) than an earlier 2018 proposal that proposed narrower, shallower lots.

Underwood said the applicant has conducted outreach—including meetings with the Vistoso Community Association and targeted conversations with nearby homeowners—and emphasized measures intended to preserve mountain views and create sensitive edge…