Rezoning OK'd in Canoa Ranch area

The Pima County Board of Supervisors on Monday unanimously approved rezoning 25.5 acres on the western edge of Canoa Ranch despite protests from neighbors who say the development will block their mountain views, increase traffic and tax utilities.

The change from rural homestead to single residence zoning allows developer Fairfield Homes to build 22 to 27 homes on the narrow strip of property at Atascosa Peak and Bassett Peak drives, which was once meant to be part of a golf course.

But many residents of nearby subdivision Canoa Sierra said they were told the natural desert area would always stay a buffer between their development and the rural homes of Montana Vista. Others have said they were told a maximum of eight homes could be built on the land.

At a Green Valley Community Coordinating Council planning and zoning meeting in June, many homeowners said they were against the prospect of more dense housing, but would concede to a compromise — “Suburban Ranch” zoning that would allow 14 homes in the contested development.

A planning consultant for Fairfield argued that twice as many homes on one-acre plots would serve as a transition between the 5,000-square-foot lots in Canoa Sierra and the four-acre lots of Montana Vista, adding that it would contribute to variation of homeowners and home types in Canoa Ranch.

Tom Ward, the Green Valley representative for Supervisor Ray Carroll, said Carroll went with the GVCCC recommendation of 22 units.

“We believe that the community supports what the GVCCC talks about,” Ward said.

He said the county’s planning commission received six letters after its meeting July 29, all requesting fewer units than GVCCC proposed. The commission voted, 6-2, to request 15 units but the board went for the larger number.

Part of the deal, Ward said, is that fewer curb cuts will end up along Atascosa Peak, which was another concern of neighbors.

jrichardson@gvnews.com | 547-9726