A permit request to allow a bike ranch across the street from Saguaro National Park is premature, says a county hearing administrator who recommended denial of the conditional-use permit application required for the bike ranch to move forward.
The Pima County Board of Supervisors will consider the recommendation, issued Tuesday by hearing administrator Jim Portner, in making a final decision on the application.
The developers have asked the zoning staff to delay a July 1 hearing in front of the board so they have time to consult with neighbors and rework their proposal.
Portner wrote that the permit could still be approved if developers address neighbors’ concerns about protecting the national park and wildlife habitat.
“None of the issues raised in opposition to this request are inherently unresolvable if all parties involved would engage each other in meaningful, dedicated and good-faith discussions,” he wrote.
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Developers Kelley Matthews and Peter Lasher want to build a 49-room bike ranch on their 45-acre property at East Escalante Road and South Old Spanish Trail.
The permit application seeks “minor resort” status, which allows for up to 50 units spread across at least 10 acres in a suburban ranch zone.
Dozens of residents spoke at a May 21 public hearing on the permit application, and most objected to the bike ranch’s location in the buffer zone, which seeks to maintain open spaces, protect wildlife habitat and guide development around the national park. Darla Sidles, superintendent of Saguaro National Park, also spoke in opposition.
Matthews has said the proposal avoids disruption of wildlife as much as possible and will be a boon to Tucson, already an international destination for cyclists.
“Jim Portner’s ruling confirmed what we already felt from the hearing — that we need to have an open dialogue with the neighbors to explain the project and to make it better by incorporating their concerns,” Matthews said Tuesday in an email.
Emily Bregel
Border reporter
