GREEN VALLEY, Ariz. (KGUN) — In September, the American Legion Madera Post 131 received initial approval from the Pima County Board of Supervisors to build a new facility along the I-19 east frontage road in Green Valley.
But the proposed location, near the Encanto Estates Homeowners Association (HOA), has sparked opposition from some local residents concerned about traffic, noise and lighting.
Post 131's current building, at 2,400 square feet, no longer meets the organization's needs. The new location would provide 4,800 square feet of space.
“We’ve outgrown the building,” said Joe Melhorn, Commander at American Legion Post 131. “We’re just throwing money away on a lease as opposed to having property and a building where we would be building equity and saving money.”
However, for Encanto Estates residents, the proposed site has raised multiple concerns, especially regarding potential traffic increases, increased lighting and possible noise impacts.
“It’s traffic, it’s noise, it’s lighting. It’s all the things that happen when a semi-commercial building gets put into a neighborhood,” said Larry Ashby, Vice President of Encanto Estates. “It really doesn’t enhance the neighborhood in any way. It doesn’t make it a better place for the people who already live there.”
Ashby was one of many residents who expressed their concerns during a meeting at Canoa Hills Recreation Center on Thursday, October 24th where architects of the building, along with members of Post 131 stated their plans.
American Legion members explained how their organization positively impacts the community and how they would work with the HOA to alleviate concerns.
Ashby was clear in stating that he supports veterans and understands that veterans groups do a lot of good in the community.
“We’re all supportive of that,” Ashby said. “But this is not a referendum on whether the post does good work in the community. It’s about the placement of a facility that is not appropriate for the neighborhood.”
Among the most debated issues was the Legion’s original plan to include five RV parking spots across from Encanto Estates. The proposed RV area quickly became a focal point of local objections, leading the Legion to cancel this portion of the plan.
“We were originally going to put in five RV spots and that caused them some angst, so we just pulled the plug on that,” explained Bill Bracco, 1st Vice Commander of American Legion Post 131.
Another issue involved access points along I-19 Frontage Road and whether fire engines could maneuver into the space. During the meeting, the American Legion offered to work with Santa Rita Fire Department to determine the appropriate dimensions of the entrance ways.
The Green Valley Council was encouraged by the compromise. Vice President Debbie Kenyon expressed optimism about the ongoing discussions.
“More to come, but we have parties that are talking to each other, and that’s the best thing,” Kenyon said. “The important takeaway is that information made it back to the post, back to the architects and they said, ‘we can tweak this, we can make it work.”
Legion members expressed interest in working with the community to resolve any outstanding issues.
“We want to be a good community partner,” Bracco said. “We have a vested interest in not just veteran’s organizations. I think it would be a great fit.”
The Pima County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to meet on November 19 to review Post 131’s request for a conditional-use permit. If the board grants approval, they will then address specific construction concerns related to traffic flow, lighting and egress.
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Joel Foster is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9 who previously worked as an English teacher in both Boston and the Tucson area. Joel has experience working with web, print and video in the tech, finance, nonprofit and the public sectors. In his off-time, you might catch Joel taking part in Tucson's local comedy scene. Share your story ideas with Joel at joel.foster@kgun9.com, or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram or X.
