Subdivision upset over new homes

Residents of a Canoa Ranch subdivision are upset over a proposed zoning change that would allow homes in a desert buffer area at the edge of their quiet development.

Some say they were led to believe when they purchased their Canoa Sierra homes that the 24-acre parcel would remain undeveloped — and their mountain views unobstructed.

Others say they knew the land was slated for development and were receptive to the original plan calling for eight homes on four-acre lots.

But the zoning change proposed by Tucson-based Fairfield Homes Inc., master developers of Canoa Ranch, would put 28 houses on lots of just under an acre each.

A Canoa Ranch home owner’s association meeting last week to discuss the proposed zoning change became heated as residents of Canoa Sierra and Montana Vista — the rural development west of the land — outlined their concerns to Fairfield representatives.

Some blamed the company for not making it clear that the parcel would not always remain a natural desert area. But Fairfield planning consultant Frank Thomson said that Fairfield, along with Meritage Homes, which owns the Canoa Sierra subdivision, were not at fault. Sales contracts state that the land would eventually be developed, he said, adding that it’s important that homebuyers check the fine print against what they may have been told by sales staff.

A document from the Pima County Development Services Department shows that the L-shaped strip of land, once slated to be part of a golf course, was rezoned for the four-acre plots as far back as 2001.

While emotions ran high at the meeting, any feelings of betrayal or misunderstanding are a moot point. There’s no question that the houses are going in, Thomson said, its just a matter of how many, and when.

Even if the rezoning is approved, Thomson says he doesn’t know when building on the new subdivision, tentatively called The Estates, would begin.

“That’s strictly dependent upon on the economy,” he said.

The Pima County Board of Supervisors will get the chance to approve the proposed zoning change from RH (Rural Homestead; 4.133 acres, or 180,000 sq ft.) to CR-1 (1 commercial acre; 36,000 sq. ft.), in August. But first it will have to go through the GVCCC’s Planning and Zoning Committee, then get approval from the county’s Planning and Zoning Commission.

The GVCCC is holding a meeting Monday to give residents a chance to give feedback to the committee before it gives its recommendation to the county. Thomson will be on hand to give a presentation.

“I accept their right to build houses over there, I just don’t agree with all of their ideas,” said Jim Mork, whose Canoa Sierra home faces the proposed development.

Mork says he’d like the land to be zoned for a maximum of 20 houses, and he’d like Fairfield to build an interior road providing access. That would decrease the wear and tear on roads within the Canoa Sierra subdivision, which are private and paid for by residents.

“I’m not sure if the houses would be part of our HOA or have their own,” he said. “We’d want to make sure they paid their fair share.”

However, Mork said he believed the proposed homes, which are considered upscale and would start in the $400,000 price range, would not decrease their home values or cause any major detriment to the neighborhood.

In a letter to Pima County Supervisor Ray Carroll, Canoa Sierra resident Anthony Strungis described the proposed 28 houses as “too ambitious” and “overdeveloped,” and said he is concerned about increased traffic on his street.

Currently, Canoa Sierra has about 50 homes on much smaller lots than those proposed for The Estates. When the subdivision is completed it will have 140 homes.

Strungis wanted to know why the development had to have access through Canoa Sierra at all — why not from the south, or west?

He wrote: “The proposal by Fairfield to cut 17 driveway accesses along Atacosta (Peak Drive) is outrageous. This is a major disruption to our development and changes the flavor of our neighborhood. Before, we lived on a quiet street, now the proposal is asking for a major thoroughfare.”

Thomson said it’s possible the houses could be zoned for multiple-use driveways, or one driveway used by two homes. That, as well as road infrastructure and landscaping, are expected to be discussed at the GVCCC meeting, he said.

jrichardson@gvnews.com