Proposed Development of Lazy K Bar Ranch Threatens Saguaro National Park: Meeting Tonight at 7pm A proposed high-density redevelopment of the Lazy K Bar Guest Ranch property -- just 1/2 mile north of Saguaro National Park -- could threaten the fragile Sonoran desert ecosystem, jeopardize vulnerable wildlife species, and impede wildlife movements to other protected areas, according to Park officials. The propertys current zoning would allow one house per 3.3-acres as a permitted use -- resulting in 42 homesites on this 138-acre property. The proposed redevelopment, however, provides for 178 homesites, or four times the number of houses allowed under existing zoning. The National Park Service and Friends of Saguaro believe that this redevelopment proposal would result in an unacceptably high level of housing density for this property just 1/2 mile from the boundary of Saguaro National Park, and that the proposal is not consistent with Maranas current zoning that provides for a transition between natural areas and urban subdivisions. Further, this property lies within a significant wildlife movement corridor identified by the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan -- a corridor allowing movement of animal species between the Tucson Mountains and the Tortolita Mountains. The Marana Habitat Conservation Plan calls for properties in this important movement corridor to have a minimum of 80% undisturbed open space; the high density proposed in this plan provides only 55% open space. Both the National Park Service and Friends of Saguaro National Park appeared at the August 27 meeting of the Marana Planning & Zoning Commission to express our opposition to this development as proposed. Yet, despite our concerns, and overwhelming opposition to the proposal expressed by area residents, the Commission approved the plan as presented, and it now goes to the Marana Town Council for final approval. The Town Council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, October 7, at 7:00 pm in the Marana Municipal Complex, 11555 West Civic Center Drive. Hopefully, these elected Town officials will be more responsive to the publics concerns than were the unelected members of the Planning & Zoning Commission, and send this unwise plan back to the developer for revisions. You can read more about this proposal in this weeks Arizona Daily Star -- in a Guest Opinion piece by retired teacher and local historian Ken Scoville . . . a piece that was entitled Marana is About to do Irreparable Harm to Saguaro National Park. Just go to tucson/news/opinion
Posted on: Wed, 08 Oct 2014 00:10:03 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015