Catalina Foothills housing near Tucson OK'd despite concern over wildlife habitat

Catalina Foothills, an unincorporated area north of Tucson, is getting much-needed housing, despite neighbors’ concerns over traffic safety and potential destruction of critical wildlife habitat.

The Tucson area has a severe housing gap, with not enough affordable rentals or single-family houses.

A California-based developer, UIP Quail Canyon LLC, wants to build more than 300 units of housing in the highly sought-after area. Catalina Foothills is known for beautiful mountain views, upscale restaurants, expansive desert landscape and large lots, and is a popular area to live.

On July 11, the developer requested the Pima County Board of Supervisors approve its request to rezone 53 acres of land to allow for the construction of single- and multifamily homes.

The company proposed building a three-story, seven-building, 210-unit apartment complex on the north end of the property and 116 two-story single-family homes on the south end. Of the land to be developed, 22 acres are classified as a riparian area and will remain undisturbed except for the construction of a bridge, according to Pima County staff.

The land is on the former Quail Canyon Golf Course that opened in the 1960s and closed five years ago, located near the intersection of Oracle Road and Rudasill Road and intersected by the Pima Wash.

The Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 to approve the rezoning, with Supervisor Adelita Grijalva voting against.

Grijalva reiterated many concerns voiced by community members, from the impact on wildlife to emergency access on the roads, and wondered if the company would continue to work with the neighborhood after the board's approval.

“Quail Canyon is the wrong place for a high-density project. … I continue to have concerns about how the community input is going to happen,” Grijalva said.

District 1 Supervisor Rex Scott, whose district includes the area, supported the proposal. While the housing is market rate, and not considered affordable housing, it will still add houses to the market, he said.

He called the project an “appropriate infill development” partly for its proximity to Oracle Road, a major north-south corridor, and its location near retail stores, employment and services. It also would add to the county’s housing stock, he said.

Scott said the company worked with the Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection, which supports the project, to protect the riparian area.

Transportation, flood control managers support the project

Despite residents’ concerns about road safety on Rudasill Road, which included blind spots, dangerous curves and steep hills, the county transportation department said there are no transportation concerns. Oracle and Rudasill are under capacity, according to a staff report.

The Pima County Regional Flood Control District also supported the project, noting that the development does not disturb intact riparian habitat and exceeds flood mitigation standards.

“The development, as proposed, meets and exceeds federal, state, and local flood mitigation standards for this type of development, and can be constructed such that it is at minimal risk of flood damage and that it does not cause an adverse impact to others,” the district stated in a June 15 memo.

The developer also committed to implementing ways to mitigate impacts on wildlife, including using low-level pedestrian lighting, maximizing rain harvesting, implementing renewable energy sources, using gabions to protect the banks of the Pima Wash and revegetating the wash.

The developer said it also would restore areas of the Pima Wash previously disturbed by the golf course.

The project is leaving much of the wildlife area untouched and preserving half of the 62 saguaros. But 5 acres of riparian habitat will be disturbed for parking and driveway circulation, according to a county staff report.

Residents implore board to deny the rezoning

Many area residents spoke out against the development, noting its location in a riparian habitat and fears that nearby roads could not handle more traffic.

The county received 730 written comments in opposition to the rezoning request, according to a June 16 memo.

At the July 11 public hearing, many residents in the area spoke about their concerns about the riparian habitat.

“This development turns a critical wildlife corridor into a terror zone for wildlife,” Joan Scott said. She noted the development would impact the resilience of the wildlife area, and additional residents would mean additional disturbance near a critical wildlife corridor.

Others noted the already busy streets would become more congested with additional residents nearby.

However, citing Tucson’s housing crisis, some residents spoke in support.

“I am here to speak for the hundreds of people who would benefit from this development plan who are struggling during this affordable housing crisis,” Miranda Lopez said. “I believe this project will help address our region-wide housing shortage and especially our need for infill development near existing jobs, schools and infrastructure.”

Reach the reporter at sarah.lapidus@gannett.com. The Republic’s coverage of southern Arizona is funded, in part, with a grant from Report for America. Support Arizona news coverage with a tax-deductible donation at supportjournalism.azcentral.com.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Catalina Foothills apartments, single-family housing OK'd near Tucson