The Oro Valley Town Council voted unanimously Wednesday night to indefinitely delay voting on a proposal to amend its general plan to allow up to 250 homes on a parcel next to Catalina State Park.
After a five-hour discussion with heavy doses of testimony from the developer and members of the public, the council decided it wasn't ready to take a final vote on the Desert Springs proposal because of numerous unresolved issues.
Those issues include housing densities, open space and how to best shield the state park from the effects of houses, people and pets.
A parade of consultants and an attorney for the developer first gave extensive testimony that they believe their project would meet the town's criteria for changing the general plan, that the project won't affect views of the land from the park, and that it won't significantly affect wildlife movements through the region.
Then, more than 20 residents and environmentalists testified that they believe this project is the wrong choice for such a sensitive area and should be rejected.
More than 200 people packed the council chambers for the discussion.
Then council members said they hoped that with more time, the developer, residents, the State Parks Department and State Parks Board and environmentalists could come closer to finding a solution for this knotty issue acceptable to everyone. The council set no date for a future vote.
"The fact that the parks board is asking for more time. ... There is no need for knee-jerk closure on this," Vice Mayor Lou Waters said. "I believe that Oro Valley can keep an eye on this, to see if there are possibilities for this land becoming what our community deems more appropriate than what Pima County may come up with."
Councilman Mike Zinkin said he wants the 110-acre parcel - which lies outside town limits - to be mapped to see how much of the property will have to be set aside as open space, according to the town's Environmentally Sensitive Lands ordinance. The developer would be responsible for paying for such mapping, town officials said.
David Williams, the town's planning and zoning manager, said that the property's hilly, desert terrain might require 25 to 80 percent open space set-asides. "If it turns out 80 percent, you may have 2-acre parcels," Zinkin told the developers, SunChase Holdings of Scottsdale.
Keri Silvyn, an attorney for SunChase, said the recent development of Innovation Park has become a center of biotech development in the area that will require housing for future employees. Silvyn also said the project has been changed to meet neighbors' and environmentalists' concerns.
Residents, however, testified that the project's vicinity already has plenty of homes for sale today.
Pat Spoerl, a retired Forest Service official, said the town should follow a 40-year history of collaboration by many parties to ensure the Catalina State Park area's survival as open space.
Contact reporter Tony Davis at tdavis@azstarnet.com or 806-7746.
