Oro Valley town council denies proposed rezoning in unanimous 7-0 vote

UPDATE: Following the airing of this story, the Oro Valley town council denied the proposed rezoning in a unanimous 7-0 vote.

———

Regardless of the town council’s decision on whether to move forward with proposed rezoning plans, neighbors living in the Oro Valley neighborhood of Rancho Vistoso are losing hope in the years-long battle against the project.

"I was on the fence initially about the project, even though it borders right against my neighborhood," said retired veteran Matthew Smith.

Smith moved to Rancho Vistoso three years ago following his time in the military. The veteran said a lack of transparency throughout the process is now pushing him to lean in the opposite direction.

"A release of information has been denied [to] several other residents in a timely manner; they haven’t received that information back," he said. "The water survey has not been done. These are simple things that should have been done prior to the project being approved."

As previously reported, developer Paradigm Land Design says the rezoning of two vacant parcels of land from commercial to residential use is needed as more people look to call Oro Valley home. However, residents continue to stress their belief that potential profits are being prioritized over safety.

"One of the major issues we have with this development is, of course, safety," said Eva :, another resident in the area.

Those safety concerns include a potential increase in traffic to the area. The developer has proposed adding new traffic signals according to their traffic study.

But many still feel that isn’t enough and wonder why another traffic study hasn't been done since 2020—the most recent year of traffic data used for the study.

In a new twist, the residents now say they are concerned with the town’s water supply and the impacts that new development could have for the town at large following the expiration of the town's designation of assured water supply on December 31, 2023.