Arroyo Grande Special Area Policies

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The Town of Oro Valley values the unique characteristics of the property owned by the Arizona State Land Department, otherwise known as the Arroyo Grande Planning Area, and seeks to increase the value of this property for its owners and future generations through resource conservation, progressive planning, regulation and management. Development proposals must demonstrate substantial adherence to high standards and the principles of new urbanism, resource conservation and sustainability.

The Arroyo Grande Plan provides an opportunity to incorporate a sustainable development model that includes a mix of housing types and densities, employment centers, and commercial services in balance with environmental preservation. This community will provide opportunities for alternate modes of transportation and a jobs/housing balance that will reduce impacts on the existing roadway system.

The Arroyo Grande planning process was a unique, collaborative process that included the Arizona State Land Department, Pima County, the Town of Oro Valley, and other community stakeholders. Working together, they developed the proposed Land Use Map and policies. Input from the community as well as technical experts, in particular from scientific and environmental perspectives, was critical to the development of the Plan.

The Arizona State Land Commissioner agreed to an unprecedented 60% open space designation in the Arroyo Grande Planning Area (the Planning Area). However, this open space allotment is not consistent with the 2007 Arizona State Land Department approved Arroyo Grande Plan Area’s Conceptual Land Use Table. Primary goals of the Plan include preservation of a critical wildlife linkage between the Tortolita and the Santa Catalina mountains, preservation of natural riparian areas throughout the Planning Area, and preservation of significant archaeological resources in place.

Land Use and Zoning

  1. With the exception of parcels with frontage on Oracle Road and that area designated RLDR, the entire Arroyo Grande area should be master planned prior to any zoning entitlements in the Planning Area. It is anticipated that the Commerce/Office Park (COP) and Community/Regional Commercial (C/CR) designated areas with Oracle Road frontage will be developed first; therefore, most of the special area policies described below apply to the rest of the Arroyo Grande Planning Area.
  2. Zoning in conformance with this Plan should be in the form of a PAD (Planned Area Development). The PAD will include zoning provisions for cluster development and Village Center regulations. The Town of Oro Valley’s Environmentally Sensitive Lands Code amendment must be adopted prior to zoning entitlements.
  3. Permitted non-residential land uses should be determined with a goal of providing significant employment opportunities within the Planning Area, particularly for local residents. The intent is to create a jobs/housing balance of one job for every three dwelling units in the Planning Area.
  4. To further the goal of a jobs/housing balance and to create a vibrant, diverse community, development will emphasize a diversity of housing types and densities.
  5. Development should be clustered, where feasible, within the RLDR and the 50% MPC areas, to minimize the cost of needed infrastructure and to preserve large areas of contiguous, natural, open space and to avoid site-specific sensitive resources.
  6. There is a potential for one “floating resort site” identified in the northern part of the Planning Area. It will promote eco-tourism and will be located and developed in a manner that protects views of the Tortolita Mountains and otherwise preserves large contiguous areas of natural open space. If the resort is developed in the proposed area, in close proximity to Tortolita Mountain Park, a funding mechanism such as an enhancement fee charged to resort guests will be established to support conservation.
  7. A minimum of 600 acres of COP land use designation will be established as part of this General Plan amendment. It may be designated in part on the Oracle Road frontage and in part adjacent to the Village Center (VC). The 260-acre VC and 61-acre C/CR designations will remain unchanged. Twenty (20) years from adoption of zoning in conformance with this General Plan amendment, undeveloped COP designated lands may be reverted to MPC zoning at the request of the Arizona State Land Department.
  8. Phasing of commercial and employment centers, as they relate to employment, should be established, in conjunction with residential development, as part of zoning entitlements. The intent of maintaining the jobs/housing balance of a minimum of one job per three households, and provision for commercial uses to serve the area, will be evaluated and encouraged with each phase.
  9. Residential development densities in Master Planned Community (MPC) will transition from generally low density to high density, moving away from the wildlife linkage open space corridor, as long as the MPC target dwelling unit numbers are maintained overall.
  10. The purpose of the Village Center area is to establish a “town center” that will serve as a focal point for the Planning Area. The Village Center area will offer a variety of office, retail, service, educational, medical and public facilities integrated with medium- to high-density density housing. The Village Center should include a centrally located public plaza, green or square that provides a venue for community events and reinforces a sense of place for the Arroyo Grande area. Mixed-use developments, including live/workspace, are encouraged in the Village Center. The Village Center will serve as the cornerstone to this community built on the principles of new urbanism. As a part of the approved PAD, a phasing plan should assure that residential densities in the Village Center are adequate to support the town center.
  11. Design guidelines will be developed for Arroyo Grande as a part of the PAD. The Village Center guidelines may be based on form-based codes in order to encourage a cohesive, unified development theme that promotes community identity and sense of place.
  12. The Village Center should include a regional commercial center to serve the Planning Area and surrounding areas. Commercial uses on Oracle Road will serve both the existing residents and the Planning Area and provide services to employees and businesses in the employment center.

Sustainability and Energy Conservation

  1. Sustainable development principles and practices will be a keystone of this project and building design that may include renewable energy production, water harvesting and graywater use, passive solar orientation, water conservation practices, and energy conservation measures.
  2. All commercial structures and all residential dwellings 3,000 square feet or larger in size will be constructed and certified to Environmental Protection Agency Energy Star standards.
  3. Sustainable design, such as LEED-ND, will be considered for implementation when the program is available.
  4. All commercial and residential buildings will incorporate water conservation technologies, including low flow plumbing fixtures, appliances and landscaping.
  5. Large residential subdivisions, or combinations of smaller subdivisions, will provide community pools to discourage the proliferation of private pools on single-family lots.

Open Space and Natural Resources

  1. 68.4% of the entire Planning Area will be managed and maintained as Natural Open Space (NOS). No disturbances will be allowed unless approved by the Oro Valley Town Council. The only allowable disturbance in the NOS linkage area (green on the Conceptual Plan Map) will be for: access roads for utilities, trailheads, and to connect the employment and commercial center on Oracle Road to the MPC 1 area, utility crossings, trails and trailheads.
  2. It is the intent of this Plan that the NOS area that is the “wildlife linkage” will become part of Tortolita Mountain Park and remain as NOS in perpetuity. All parties recognize that state trust lands may not be sold or otherwise disposed of until Arizona State Land Department has complied with the Enabling Act and other applicable laws, including appraisal, approval by the Board of Land Appeals, and public auction.
  3. NOS is intended to preserve wildlife movement and landscape connectivity between Tortolita Mountain Park and Catalina State Park, as well as to preserve archaeological resources. Consistency with these goals will be assured at development review phase. The NOS will need to be acquired according to state law that governs the Arizona State Land Department in order to become part of Tortolita Mountain Park.
  4. The designated riparian areas (blue on the Conceptual Plan Map) will be managed and maintained as NOS and will otherwise comply with the Town of Oro Valley’s Riparian Ordinance, as amended. Disturbance, at locations of least impact, may be allowed for utility and roadway crossings, subject to mitigation of adverse impacts. Specific delineation of the riparian areas will be based on the Oro Valley Environmentally Sensitive Lands - Riparian data layer. Roadway crossings must be designed to allow for safe wildlife movement, consistent with the methodology recommended in the Arizona Missing Linkages; Tucson-Tortolita-Santa Catalina Mountains Linkages Report.
  5. A minimum of 50% of the MPC Area 4, in the northwest corner of the Planning Area, will be managed and maintained as NOS. This NOS requirement will be applied on a project-by-project basis. Each development unit (Subdivision Plat or Block Plat) will provide a minimum of 50% project level NOS. Each individual development will be designed according to cluster development principles in order to consolidate the development footprint and to (1) preserve finite and non-renewable cultural resources by preserving in place; (2) conserve sensitive, on-site biological resources; and (3) maintain a landscape permeable to the movements of biological resources by providing connectivity between the Planning Area’s NOS and areas north into Pinal County.
  6. A minimum of 80% of the Rural Low Density Residential (RLDR) area will be managed and maintained as NOS. This NOS requirement will be applied on a project-by-project basis. Each development unit (subdivision plat or block plat) will provide a minimum of 80% project level NOS. Project level development will be designed according to cluster development principles in order to (1) consolidate sensitive on-site biological resources; and (2) maintain a landscape permeable to the movements of biological resources. Project level NOS will, to the maximum extent possible, be configured in a consolidated, uninterrupted pattern, which connects to other on-site and off-site areas.
  7. Within those areas designated as MPC, COP, or VC, a total of 434 acres of floating NOS will be designated for the preservation in place of finite, non-renewable cultural and archaeological resources, or, if not needed for this purpose, will be utilized to further the preservation of NOS.
  8. No development may utilize groundwater in a manner that diminishes or otherwise compromises the quantity or quality of groundwater available to support the significant riparian areas contained in the Honey Bee and Big Wash washes.
  9. NOS will be unlighted and protected from lighting in nearby developed areas as proscribed in the Oro Valley Zoning Code.
  10. Invasive plant species management will be incorporated into all plans for development.
  11. It is intended that all areas designated as NOS or riparian areas will be preserved and protected by conservation easements or other legal means.
  12. Oro Valley will work in collaboration with Pima County in developing, managing and funding a management plan to protect biological and cultural resources.

Cultural Resource Conservation

These policies address the protection of archaeological and historical sites, as well as the Pima County Designated Priority Cultural Resource Complex known as Indian Town, located within the Planning Area. These policies are intended to preserve finite and non-renewable archaeological sites, historic sites, and traditional cultural places in order to protect their cultural, educational, scientific, recreational, aesthetic and spiritual values.

  1. The entirety of the Planning Area must be surveyed for cultural resources, and any sites encountered must be recorded with the Arizona State Museum.
  2. All cultural resource preservation areas will be monitored through the Arizona Site Stewards Program and others to help ensure the protection of these areas and the preservation of these sites’ inherent cultural values.
  3. Cultural resources within open space and riparian areas will be preserved in place and managed and maintained as natural open space.
  4. Archaeological and historical sites determined to be of exceptional importance should be avoided and protected in place.
  5. Where avoidance of individual sites cannot be achieved and an impact to the resource will occur, a plan to mitigate the impacts through site data recovery and documentation, analyses, report preparation, and curation must be developed and then reviewed and approved by the State Historic Preservation Office and implemented prior to any ground disturbance.

Water Supply

  1. Future development of the project will require a detailed, comprehensive strategy to address water resource availability for the projected demands and water conservation for the project. The strategy will incorporate the findings and recommendations of the hydrology study requirement for the Planning Area and address opportunities for the use of effluent as a renewable water resource, native plant landscaping, groundwater recharge and minimizing impact to existing private exempt wells in the vicinity of the project. The water resource strategy will be developed for the Planning Area so that it will not impact the Town of Oro Valley’s ability to meet current and projected water demands of customers within the existing water service area.
  2. Prior to development, a Master Water Management Plan will be completed identifying current and projected water use demand, fire flow requirements, on-site/off-site water facility location and sizing, loops and proposed connection points to existing water systems, easements and common areas.
  3. Consistent with standard Town practice, water infrastructure and access to serve the area must be provided at no cost to the Town. Water infrastructure necessary to serve the Planning Area will be dedicated and conveyed to the Town of Oro Valley acting through its Water Utility.
  4. A Water Conservation Plan will be drafted to define policies and standards that require the use of best available technology for all development. A water conservation program should be implemented for all uses. Interior and exterior water conservation practices for residential and non-restricted uses will include the use of low water use fixture units, low water use landscaping and community water-based recreation centers.
  5. The Town of Oro Valley has been designated by the Arizona Department of Water Resources as an assured water provider in the Tucson AMA, and the annual volume of water that is physically, continuously, and legally available under the Town’s designation is not sufficient to serve all of the proposed development in the Planning Area. Prior to land disposition, studies will be conducted to determine available water supply in the Planning Area, including groundwater, redundant well sites, the current Town supply, and CAP allocation. If the projected needs of the development are greater than the available water supply, either development will not occur past the adequate supply of available water or additional water supply must be made available.
  6. All future development in Arroyo Grande will be served by Oro Valley Water Utility on a first-come, first-served basis. This will be based on available renewable water supply such as CAP water that is allocated to the Town. Determination of availability of renewable water supply for the Arroyo Grande area will not include water to be allocated to areas currently within the Oro Valley Water Service Area.
  7. If it is determined that renewable water is not available for a proposed development within the Arroyo Grande Area, the developer will be required to convey to the Town sufficient additional renewable water supply to serve the demands of the development in addition to payment of water impact fees. Any conveyance will be “wet” water and not “paper” water transfers.

Transportation and Circulation

  1. A master transportation/traffic impact study should be completed during the master planning/PAD process and will encompass all of Arroyo Grande. The owner or its agents will arrange for the study, in cooperation with the Town, and will select and award a contract to a mutually-agreed-upon professional traffic engineering/transportation planning consultant licensed in the state of Arizona. This study will review and analyze this development from a multimodal transportation point of view, including transit. ADOT must play an integral part of the scoping and review process for this study.
  2. The developer will be responsible for the planning, design and construction/improvement of the roadway network in the Planning Area, and will offset the traffic impact to the existing area highway network caused by the Arroyo Grande Development.
  3. All infrastructure needed to support each phase of development should be funded and constructed by the developer, and accepted by the Town prior to the first certificate of occupancy for that phase.
  4. Transit options should be made available to the community and may include demand response, circulator services, fixed routes, express routes and high-capacity transit alternatives on Oracle Road.
  5. Arroyo Grande will have a safe, effective and convenient system of multimodal transportation. All parts of the community will be linked together and accessible to the residents.
  6. The Commerce/Office Park area adjacent to Oracle Road should be linked to the interior of the Planning Area as sufficient residential development areas to the northwest develop.
  7. Future development of the project will require the following:
    • Designing the transportation system so as to accommodate and facilitate the new-urbanist, sustainable and mixed use character of the development.
    • Provision for mass transit.
    • Providing connectivity for alternate modes of transportation by pedestrians and bicyclists.
    • Cross-connection and multiuse trails to provide a multimodal connection with adjacent developments, and thus reduce Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) within the Planning Area.
    • Staged capacity improvements, for example, adequate lanes for through and turning movements to accommodate anticipated traffic volumes.
  • A roadway network that avoids deleterious impacts on the natural and constructed drainage network and wildlife movements, provides all-weather access, and avoids disruption of the roadway network by stormwater.
  • Any roads crossing a riparian area will be elevated allowing for wildlife and hydrological movement underneath the roadway.

Hydrology

  1. A master hydrological/drainage study should be completed during the master planning/planned area development phase of this project and will encompass all of Arroyo Grande. The owner or its agents will arrange for the study in consultation with the Town and will select and award a contract to a professional engineering/hydrological consultant who is licensed in the state of Arizona. Pima County Regional Flood Control District must play an integral part in the scoping and review process for this study.
  2. Hydrological and drainage design and construction should incorporate techniques that preserve and enhance the natural conditions and character of each watershed.
  3. Flood control systems must be provided that protect all developed areas from the impacts of the 100-year flood event.
  4. Where required, all-weather crossings must be designed and constructed to allow unrestricted passage during the 100-year flood event for all arterial, collector and local streets.

Sanitary Sewer Facilities

  1. Developers should provide sanitary sewer facilities for the conveyance and/or treatment of sewage from all planned developments

Parks, Trails, and Access

  1. Prior to development, a Public Trails Master Plan should be detailed within the Arroyo Grande planning area consistent with the Tortolita Mountain Park Master Plan, the Eastern Pima County Trail System Master Plan, Pima Regional Trail System Master Plan and the Town of Oro Valley’s Parks and Trails Plan.
  2. The developer should construct a multiuse trail system that provides trailheads and linkages with open space, active recreation areas and schools.
  3. Land within development areas should be set aside for parks and other recreational facilities based on established standards.

Public Facilities, Services, and Schools

  1. The subject area, upon annexation into the Town of Oro Valley, will be provided with a full range of urban-level services including schools, fire and police protection, water, transportation facilities/services, and recreational services and facilities. The location of facilities and infrastructure will be fully assessed based on established standards as part of infrastructure studies specific plan(s) formulation pursuant to the goals, objectives and policies for the Planning Area, and will be timed to provide for phased development that can be fully financed by the developer as required in responding to changes in market conditions.
  2. A parcel or parcels of land may be required for a centralized Town Operations Center that must include Public Works, Water Utility, Parks and Recreation, Transit, Police and other departments, if necessary.
  3. Fire protection will be provided by the Golder Ranch Fire District.
  4. The number and locations of schools will be coordinated with the Amphitheater School District.
  5. The Oro Valley Zoning Code Revised will apply.

Financial Sustainability Policies

  1. The Town of Oro Valley expects that new development within the Arroyo Grande area will pay for and provide the necessary infrastructure to meet the needs of that new development.
  2. It is expected that existing Town residents should not be burdened with additional costs, fees or taxes to subsidize the provision of Town services to the new development in the Arroyo Grande area.
  3. Prior to development approval, an economic impact study will be conducted to determine the costs of service and infrastructure necessary to support the new development and the revenue-generating impact of that development to ensure that the new development is paying its fair share and does not require subsidization from existing residents.
  4. It is the Town’s policy to carefully consider the use of Community Facility Districts (CFDs) as a funding mechanism to finance the construction, operation, and maintenance of public infrastructure within the boundaries of the CFD. A CFD is the legal equivalent of the establishment of an entirely new municipal/taxing district entity within the boundaries of the Town. If used, CFDs will provide an enhanced level of public infrastructure amenities and/or municipal services. The Town will conduct a detailed cost/benefit analysis to determine the viability of any proposed CFD within the Arroyo Grande area.
  5. Should a CFD be approved for the provision of infrastructure and services within Arroyo Grande, that would be funded by property assessments/taxes within the district boundaries. The Town’s development impact fee ordinance provides for credits for infrastructure provided in this manner.

The Town of Oro Valley values the unique characteristics of the property owned by the Arizona State Land Department, otherwise known as the Arroyo Grande Planning Area, and seeks to increase the value of this property for its owners and future generations through resource conservation, progressive planning, regulation and management. Development proposals must demonstrate substantial adherence to high standards and the principles of new urbanism, resource conservation and sustainability.

The Arroyo Grande Plan provides an opportunity to incorporate a sustainable development model that includes a mix of housing types and densities, employment centers, and commercial services in balance with environmental preservation. This community will provide opportunities for alternate modes of transportation and a jobs/housing balance that will reduce impacts on the existing roadway system.

The Arroyo Grande planning process was a unique, collaborative process that included the Arizona State Land Department, Pima County, the Town of Oro Valley, and other community stakeholders. Working together, they developed the proposed Land Use Map and policies. Input from the community as well as technical experts, in particular from scientific and environmental perspectives, was critical to the development of the Plan.

The Arizona State Land Commissioner agreed to an unprecedented 60% open space designation in the Arroyo Grande Planning Area (the Planning Area). However, this open space allotment is not consistent with the 2007 Arizona State Land Department approved Arroyo Grande Plan Area’s Conceptual Land Use Table. Primary goals of the Plan include preservation of a critical wildlife linkage between the Tortolita and the Santa Catalina mountains, preservation of natural riparian areas throughout the Planning Area, and preservation of significant archaeological resources in place.

Land Use and Zoning

  1. With the exception of parcels with frontage on Oracle Road and that area designated RLDR, the entire Arroyo Grande area should be master planned prior to any zoning entitlements in the Planning Area. It is anticipated that the Commerce/Office Park (COP) and Community/Regional Commercial (C/CR) designated areas with Oracle Road frontage will be developed first; therefore, most of the special area policies described below apply to the rest of the Arroyo Grande Planning Area.
  2. Zoning in conformance with this Plan should be in the form of a PAD (Planned Area Development). The PAD will include zoning provisions for cluster development and Village Center regulations. The Town of Oro Valley’s Environmentally Sensitive Lands Code amendment must be adopted prior to zoning entitlements.
  3. Permitted non-residential land uses should be determined with a goal of providing significant employment opportunities within the Planning Area, particularly for local residents. The intent is to create a jobs/housing balance of one job for every three dwelling units in the Planning Area.
  4. To further the goal of a jobs/housing balance and to create a vibrant, diverse community, development will emphasize a diversity of housing types and densities.
  5. Development should be clustered, where feasible, within the RLDR and the 50% MPC areas, to minimize the cost of needed infrastructure and to preserve large areas of contiguous, natural, open space and to avoid site-specific sensitive resources.
  6. There is a potential for one “floating resort site” identified in the northern part of the Planning Area. It will promote eco-tourism and will be located and developed in a manner that protects views of the Tortolita Mountains and otherwise preserves large contiguous areas of natural open space. If the resort is developed in the proposed area, in close proximity to Tortolita Mountain Park, a funding mechanism such as an enhancement fee charged to resort guests will be established to support conservation.
  7. A minimum of 600 acres of COP land use designation will be established as part of this General Plan amendment. It may be designated in part on the Oracle Road frontage and in part adjacent to the Village Center (VC). The 260-acre VC and 61-acre C/CR designations will remain unchanged. Twenty (20) years from adoption of zoning in conformance with this General Plan amendment, undeveloped COP designated lands may be reverted to MPC zoning at the request of the Arizona State Land Department.
  8. Phasing of commercial and employment centers, as they relate to employment, should be established, in conjunction with residential development, as part of zoning entitlements. The intent of maintaining the jobs/housing balance of a minimum of one job per three households, and provision for commercial uses to serve the area, will be evaluated and encouraged with each phase.
  9. Residential development densities in Master Planned Community (MPC) will transition from generally low density to high density, moving away from the wildlife linkage open space corridor, as long as the MPC target dwelling unit numbers are maintained overall.
  10. The purpose of the Village Center area is to establish a “town center” that will serve as a focal point for the Planning Area. The Village Center area will offer a variety of office, retail, service, educational, medical and public facilities integrated with medium- to high-density density housing. The Village Center should include a centrally located public plaza, green or square that provides a venue for community events and reinforces a sense of place for the Arroyo Grande area. Mixed-use developments, including live/workspace, are encouraged in the Village Center. The Village Center will serve as the cornerstone to this community built on the principles of new urbanism. As a part of the approved PAD, a phasing plan should assure that residential densities in the Village Center are adequate to support the town center.
  11. Design guidelines will be developed for Arroyo Grande as a part of the PAD. The Village Center guidelines may be based on form-based codes in order to encourage a cohesive, unified development theme that promotes community identity and sense of place.
  12. The Village Center should include a regional commercial center to serve the Planning Area and surrounding areas. Commercial uses on Oracle Road will serve both the existing residents and the Planning Area and provide services to employees and businesses in the employment center.

Sustainability and Energy Conservation

  1. Sustainable development principles and practices will be a keystone of this project and building design that may include renewable energy production, water harvesting and graywater use, passive solar orientation, water conservation practices, and energy conservation measures.
  2. All commercial structures and all residential dwellings 3,000 square feet or larger in size will be constructed and certified to Environmental Protection Agency Energy Star standards.
  3. Sustainable design, such as LEED-ND, will be considered for implementation when the program is available.
  4. All commercial and residential buildings will incorporate water conservation technologies, including low flow plumbing fixtures, appliances and landscaping.
  5. Large residential subdivisions, or combinations of smaller subdivisions, will provide community pools to discourage the proliferation of private pools on single-family lots.

Open Space and Natural Resources

  1. 68.4% of the entire Planning Area will be managed and maintained as Natural Open Space (NOS). No disturbances will be allowed unless approved by the Oro Valley Town Council. The only allowable disturbance in the NOS linkage area (green on the Conceptual Plan Map) will be for: access roads for utilities, trailheads, and to connect the employment and commercial center on Oracle Road to the MPC 1 area, utility crossings, trails and trailheads.
  2. It is the intent of this Plan that the NOS area that is the “wildlife linkage” will become part of Tortolita Mountain Park and remain as NOS in perpetuity. All parties recognize that state trust lands may not be sold or otherwise disposed of until Arizona State Land Department has complied with the Enabling Act and other applicable laws, including appraisal, approval by the Board of Land Appeals, and public auction.
  3. NOS is intended to preserve wildlife movement and landscape connectivity between Tortolita Mountain Park and Catalina State Park, as well as to preserve archaeological resources. Consistency with these goals will be assured at development review phase. The NOS will need to be acquired according to state law that governs the Arizona State Land Department in order to become part of Tortolita Mountain Park.
  4. The designated riparian areas (blue on the Conceptual Plan Map) will be managed and maintained as NOS and will otherwise comply with the Town of Oro Valley’s Riparian Ordinance, as amended. Disturbance, at locations of least impact, may be allowed for utility and roadway crossings, subject to mitigation of adverse impacts. Specific delineation of the riparian areas will be based on the Oro Valley Environmentally Sensitive Lands - Riparian data layer. Roadway crossings must be designed to allow for safe wildlife movement, consistent with the methodology recommended in the Arizona Missing Linkages; Tucson-Tortolita-Santa Catalina Mountains Linkages Report.
  5. A minimum of 50% of the MPC Area 4, in the northwest corner of the Planning Area, will be managed and maintained as NOS. This NOS requirement will be applied on a project-by-project basis. Each development unit (Subdivision Plat or Block Plat) will provide a minimum of 50% project level NOS. Each individual development will be designed according to cluster development principles in order to consolidate the development footprint and to (1) preserve finite and non-renewable cultural resources by preserving in place; (2) conserve sensitive, on-site biological resources; and (3) maintain a landscape permeable to the movements of biological resources by providing connectivity between the Planning Area’s NOS and areas north into Pinal County.
  6. A minimum of 80% of the Rural Low Density Residential (RLDR) area will be managed and maintained as NOS. This NOS requirement will be applied on a project-by-project basis. Each development unit (subdivision plat or block plat) will provide a minimum of 80% project level NOS. Project level development will be designed according to cluster development principles in order to (1) consolidate sensitive on-site biological resources; and (2) maintain a landscape permeable to the movements of biological resources. Project level NOS will, to the maximum extent possible, be configured in a consolidated, uninterrupted pattern, which connects to other on-site and off-site areas.
  7. Within those areas designated as MPC, COP, or VC, a total of 434 acres of floating NOS will be designated for the preservation in place of finite, non-renewable cultural and archaeological resources, or, if not needed for this purpose, will be utilized to further the preservation of NOS.
  8. No development may utilize groundwater in a manner that diminishes or otherwise compromises the quantity or quality of groundwater available to support the significant riparian areas contained in the Honey Bee and Big Wash washes.
  9. NOS will be unlighted and protected from lighting in nearby developed areas as proscribed in the Oro Valley Zoning Code.
  10. Invasive plant species management will be incorporated into all plans for development.
  11. It is intended that all areas designated as NOS or riparian areas will be preserved and protected by conservation easements or other legal means.
  12. Oro Valley will work in collaboration with Pima County in developing, managing and funding a management plan to protect biological and cultural resources.

Cultural Resource Conservation

These policies address the protection of archaeological and historical sites, as well as the Pima County Designated Priority Cultural Resource Complex known as Indian Town, located within the Planning Area. These policies are intended to preserve finite and non-renewable archaeological sites, historic sites, and traditional cultural places in order to protect their cultural, educational, scientific, recreational, aesthetic and spiritual values.

  1. The entirety of the Planning Area must be surveyed for cultural resources, and any sites encountered must be recorded with the Arizona State Museum.
  2. All cultural resource preservation areas will be monitored through the Arizona Site Stewards Program and others to help ensure the protection of these areas and the preservation of these sites’ inherent cultural values.
  3. Cultural resources within open space and riparian areas will be preserved in place and managed and maintained as natural open space.
  4. Archaeological and historical sites determined to be of exceptional importance should be avoided and protected in place.
  5. Where avoidance of individual sites cannot be achieved and an impact to the resource will occur, a plan to mitigate the impacts through site data recovery and documentation, analyses, report preparation, and curation must be developed and then reviewed and approved by the State Historic Preservation Office and implemented prior to any ground disturbance.

Water Supply

  1. Future development of the project will require a detailed, comprehensive strategy to address water resource availability for the projected demands and water conservation for the project. The strategy will incorporate the findings and recommendations of the hydrology study requirement for the Planning Area and address opportunities for the use of effluent as a renewable water resource, native plant landscaping, groundwater recharge and minimizing impact to existing private exempt wells in the vicinity of the project. The water resource strategy will be developed for the Planning Area so that it will not impact the Town of Oro Valley’s ability to meet current and projected water demands of customers within the existing water service area.
  2. Prior to development, a Master Water Management Plan will be completed identifying current and projected water use demand, fire flow requirements, on-site/off-site water facility location and sizing, loops and proposed connection points to existing water systems, easements and common areas.
  3. Consistent with standard Town practice, water infrastructure and access to serve the area must be provided at no cost to the Town. Water infrastructure necessary to serve the Planning Area will be dedicated and conveyed to the Town of Oro Valley acting through its Water Utility.
  4. A Water Conservation Plan will be drafted to define policies and standards that require the use of best available technology for all development. A water conservation program should be implemented for all uses. Interior and exterior water conservation practices for residential and non-restricted uses will include the use of low water use fixture units, low water use landscaping and community water-based recreation centers.
  5. The Town of Oro Valley has been designated by the Arizona Department of Water Resources as an assured water provider in the Tucson AMA, and the annual volume of water that is physically, continuously, and legally available under the Town’s designation is not sufficient to serve all of the proposed development in the Planning Area. Prior to land disposition, studies will be conducted to determine available water supply in the Planning Area, including groundwater, redundant well sites, the current Town supply, and CAP allocation. If the projected needs of the development are greater than the available water supply, either development will not occur past the adequate supply of available water or additional water supply must be made available.
  6. All future development in Arroyo Grande will be served by Oro Valley Water Utility on a first-come, first-served basis. This will be based on available renewable water supply such as CAP water that is allocated to the Town. Determination of availability of renewable water supply for the Arroyo Grande area will not include water to be allocated to areas currently within the Oro Valley Water Service Area.
  7. If it is determined that renewable water is not available for a proposed development within the Arroyo Grande Area, the developer will be required to convey to the Town sufficient additional renewable water supply to serve the demands of the development in addition to payment of water impact fees. Any conveyance will be “wet” water and not “paper” water transfers.

Transportation and Circulation

  1. A master transportation/traffic impact study should be completed during the master planning/PAD process and will encompass all of Arroyo Grande. The owner or its agents will arrange for the study, in cooperation with the Town, and will select and award a contract to a mutually-agreed-upon professional traffic engineering/transportation planning consultant licensed in the state of Arizona. This study will review and analyze this development from a multimodal transportation point of view, including transit. ADOT must play an integral part of the scoping and review process for this study.
  2. The developer will be responsible for the planning, design and construction/improvement of the roadway network in the Planning Area, and will offset the traffic impact to the existing area highway network caused by the Arroyo Grande Development.
  3. All infrastructure needed to support each phase of development should be funded and constructed by the developer, and accepted by the Town prior to the first certificate of occupancy for that phase.
  4. Transit options should be made available to the community and may include demand response, circulator services, fixed routes, express routes and high-capacity transit alternatives on Oracle Road.
  5. Arroyo Grande will have a safe, effective and convenient system of multimodal transportation. All parts of the community will be linked together and accessible to the residents.
  6. The Commerce/Office Park area adjacent to Oracle Road should be linked to the interior of the Planning Area as sufficient residential development areas to the northwest develop.
  7. Future development of the project will require the following:
    • Designing the transportation system so as to accommodate and facilitate the new-urbanist, sustainable and mixed use character of the development.
    • Provision for mass transit.
    • Providing connectivity for alternate modes of transportation by pedestrians and bicyclists.
    • Cross-connection and multiuse trails to provide a multimodal connection with adjacent developments, and thus reduce Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) within the Planning Area.
    • Staged capacity improvements, for example, adequate lanes for through and turning movements to accommodate anticipated traffic volumes.
  • A roadway network that avoids deleterious impacts on the natural and constructed drainage network and wildlife movements, provides all-weather access, and avoids disruption of the roadway network by stormwater.
  • Any roads crossing a riparian area will be elevated allowing for wildlife and hydrological movement underneath the roadway.

Hydrology

  1. A master hydrological/drainage study should be completed during the master planning/planned area development phase of this project and will encompass all of Arroyo Grande. The owner or its agents will arrange for the study in consultation with the Town and will select and award a contract to a professional engineering/hydrological consultant who is licensed in the state of Arizona. Pima County Regional Flood Control District must play an integral part in the scoping and review process for this study.
  2. Hydrological and drainage design and construction should incorporate techniques that preserve and enhance the natural conditions and character of each watershed.
  3. Flood control systems must be provided that protect all developed areas from the impacts of the 100-year flood event.
  4. Where required, all-weather crossings must be designed and constructed to allow unrestricted passage during the 100-year flood event for all arterial, collector and local streets.

Sanitary Sewer Facilities

  1. Developers should provide sanitary sewer facilities for the conveyance and/or treatment of sewage from all planned developments

Parks, Trails, and Access

  1. Prior to development, a Public Trails Master Plan should be detailed within the Arroyo Grande planning area consistent with the Tortolita Mountain Park Master Plan, the Eastern Pima County Trail System Master Plan, Pima Regional Trail System Master Plan and the Town of Oro Valley’s Parks and Trails Plan.
  2. The developer should construct a multiuse trail system that provides trailheads and linkages with open space, active recreation areas and schools.
  3. Land within development areas should be set aside for parks and other recreational facilities based on established standards.

Public Facilities, Services, and Schools

  1. The subject area, upon annexation into the Town of Oro Valley, will be provided with a full range of urban-level services including schools, fire and police protection, water, transportation facilities/services, and recreational services and facilities. The location of facilities and infrastructure will be fully assessed based on established standards as part of infrastructure studies specific plan(s) formulation pursuant to the goals, objectives and policies for the Planning Area, and will be timed to provide for phased development that can be fully financed by the developer as required in responding to changes in market conditions.
  2. A parcel or parcels of land may be required for a centralized Town Operations Center that must include Public Works, Water Utility, Parks and Recreation, Transit, Police and other departments, if necessary.
  3. Fire protection will be provided by the Golder Ranch Fire District.
  4. The number and locations of schools will be coordinated with the Amphitheater School District.
  5. The Oro Valley Zoning Code Revised will apply.

Financial Sustainability Policies

  1. The Town of Oro Valley expects that new development within the Arroyo Grande area will pay for and provide the necessary infrastructure to meet the needs of that new development.
  2. It is expected that existing Town residents should not be burdened with additional costs, fees or taxes to subsidize the provision of Town services to the new development in the Arroyo Grande area.
  3. Prior to development approval, an economic impact study will be conducted to determine the costs of service and infrastructure necessary to support the new development and the revenue-generating impact of that development to ensure that the new development is paying its fair share and does not require subsidization from existing residents.
  4. It is the Town’s policy to carefully consider the use of Community Facility Districts (CFDs) as a funding mechanism to finance the construction, operation, and maintenance of public infrastructure within the boundaries of the CFD. A CFD is the legal equivalent of the establishment of an entirely new municipal/taxing district entity within the boundaries of the Town. If used, CFDs will provide an enhanced level of public infrastructure amenities and/or municipal services. The Town will conduct a detailed cost/benefit analysis to determine the viability of any proposed CFD within the Arroyo Grande area.
  5. Should a CFD be approved for the provision of infrastructure and services within Arroyo Grande, that would be funded by property assessments/taxes within the district boundaries. The Town’s development impact fee ordinance provides for credits for infrastructure provided in this manner.
Page published: 06 Sep 2025, 04:23 PM