Oro Valley is preparing its parks and recreation master plan for the town and expects to present the final version for adoption in April.
But some residents and the mayor said more work needs to be done on the plan to include additional trails and amenities for residents north of Tangerine Road.
Last May, the town’s Parks and Recreation Department worked with PROS Consulting to get the community to help determine the next 10 to 15 years of park and recreation programs and amenities for the town’s growing population. This fall, parks officials presented the results to the Town Council and the community.
Official opening of the Naranja Park Playground, 810 W. Naranja Drive in Oro Valley, Ariz., on Nov. 17, 2020. The playground is ready for kids, though some peripheral items in the $1.45 million project are still underway. Oro Valley Public Works prepared the site for Durazo Construction, which was awarded the contract on July 1. The park also features soccer fields, a birding trail, hiking trails, and picnic tables and ramadas. The town requests that everyone wear a mask and practice social distancing. Video by Rick Wiley / Arizona Daily Star ©2020
“Parks and recreation are such a critical part of someone’s lifestyle and wellbeing,” said parks director Kristy Diaz-Trahan. “It’s important that we get this stuff right.”
Planned developments outlined high, medium and low priority needs. High priority items included community special events and programs for seniors, open space and trails, as well as neighborhood and community parks. Amenities in the low and medium priority lists varied, ranging from pickleball and tennis courts to pavilions and playgrounds.
Projected needs were determined by using demographics and geographics while assessing existing amenities, she said. That helped determine how access to parks and recreation amenities fits into the entire community, Diaz-Trahan said.
“After we looked at all amenities that were available, the future investments would be to expand and improve our existing parks,” she said.
Some residents say they feel ignored
Last month, the parks department held a virtual public hearing to discuss existing parks and the concepts for the proposed master plan. Despite early public involvement and months of community outreach, some residents who attended the meeting said they felt left out.
Resident Tom Stegman was among several residents who questioned whether the proposed plan serves all residents.
“My biggest concern here is that this is a plan that has been put together that has summarily dismissed residents north of Tangerine (Road),” he said. “The residents still feel like they’ve been totally left out on purpose.”
Another resident, Hal Bergsma, who also serves on the town’s Planning and Zoning Commission, said the master plan is heading in a direction that will lead to a lack of resident support.
“I think you need to take a look at what people want as opposed to what you think they should have,” Bergsma said. “I think you did it in the wrong direction.”
“The Parks and Recreation Board acknowledged the feedback and is looking for opportunities to add new trail and park systems for residents north of Tangerine Road as land becomes available,” Diaz-Trahan said.
As of now, the town does not own general open space in that area, so it will be addressed in the master plan as “potential opportunities,” which could come about through partnerships or land acquisition.
Oro Valley Mayor Joe Winfield also spoke to resident worries during the Nov. 18 Town Council meeting.
“I’m really proud of the outreach that was done and of the community input that was provided,” said Winfield. “Where I was a bit disheartened is that it’s not reflected in the next step. I think what’s positive about this is, with that community input, we’re going to pivot.”
The top three amenity priorities are natural surface trails, multi-use paved trails and open space conservation trails, Winfield added. He recommended the next planning phase explore funding opportunities to finance additional trails.
“Because of the high priority ranking of (these) trails, we need to give greater emphasis to that,” Winfield said. “It simply cannot be ignored.”
Town officials also took action on the related vacant Rancho Vistoso Golf Course issue. Residents want the town to buy the property and turn it into natural open space for the public. Unless that happens, the town does not have legal authority to include privately owned property in its master plan, Diaz-Trahan said.
The council unanimously approved the town manager and town attorney to work with the property owner, Romspen Vistoso, in hopes of resolving the controversial issue by April. The goal is to negotiate the sale of the property for fair market value.
Should the property become a town asset, town officials would then plan the space independently through community meetings, Diaz-Trahan said. “I think that will address a significant portion of the concern related to public park space north of Tangerine,” she added.
Revisions coming early 2021
“For towns such as Oro Valley that do not have a property tax, capital investment for parks would typically be through the general funds, which are reliant on sales tax,” Diaz-Trahan said. “There is also the possibility of future grants and partnerships that could contribute to funding.”
The park department plans to present funding strategies and costs in February.
“We want this plan to be realistic and implementable in terms of fiscal responsibility and being able to continue to maintain it,” Diaz-Trahan said.
There have been over 100 responses since the town opened up public discussion on its website in November. The Parks and Recreation Board hopes to triple that number by the time the forums close Dec. 18.
The board will continue to work with PROS Consulting to implement changes according to community feedback. The next round of amendments are expected to be presented in January.
