Cielo Madera opponents plan public forum

Plans for the controversial Cielo Madera Estates development near Madera Canyon will likely go before the Pima County Design Review Committee on March 15, county staffers say.

If approved by the DRC, the cluster-style project to construct 280 homes on 1,189 acres of environmentally sensitive desert grassland about a mile below the canyon would move toward a tentative plat.

Meantime, the Friends of Madera Canyon and the Community Church of Green Valley are sponsoring a second public forum on the issue.

A Friends spokesperson said the forum would provide information on “activities and events concerning efforts to help preserve the canyon.”

The meeting is set for Saturday, March 10, 10 a.m., at the Community Church of Green Valley, located on the northwest corner of La Canada and Esperanza in Green Valley

The DRC meeting is scheduled for Thursday, March 15, 1:30 p.m., in meeting room C of the County Public Works building, 201 N. Stone Ave., in Tucson. The meeting is open to the public.

Members of the DRC can either vote to approve the cluster plan outright or with conditions, or they can continue the hearing for further review. If the committee denies the application, the developers can submit a new application with a different cluster plan or appeal the decision to the Pima County Planning and Zoning Commission.

Neighbors and other interested parties have no right to appeal, though they could file a special action in Superior Court to force a review of the decision.

During the upcoming forum, opponents are expected to announce plans for a fundraising event featuring several stars of the birding and photography worlds.

Ken Kaufman, Tom Vezo and Jack Dykinga will be on hand March 30 at University Medical Center’s Duval auditorium for the fundraiser, tickets to which will be available at the March 10 forum, a Friends spokesperson said.

Tim Hull is a freelance writer.