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Next Scheduled Board meeting:
Tuesday, 7 PM, June 17, 2003, Himmel Library
Look for minutes of recent meetings on the Board Business page.
Important PDF Downloads:
The latest Plan Amendment Application
The latest Plan Amendment Language
Most recent correspondence with the developer.
The current Sam Hughes Neighborhood Plan (1MB)
The current Sam Hughes Neighborhood Plan (text only; 63KB)
Security Plan Signed by SHNA and Winged Foot Assoc. (Rincon Mkt)
June 2003
Development at 6th and Campbell
SHNA and adjacent neighbors were alarmed at the first plans we saw for the old SAMHC site. The developer, James Horvath of Town West Realty, originally planned to build what he called "student housing" at the corner of 6th and Campbell. They were not dormitories in the traditional sense as they had no resident assistants or other supervision. These buildings could have been built without any change to the Neighborhood Plan or the zoning. The only reason we had anything to say about what is going on in this block is that the Mayor and Council must approve the sale of the alleys. Although the plans we saw would have required the city to vacate the alleys, similar plans could be built without doing so.
We met with Mr. Horvath and Raul Reyes to ask them to consider building housing that would attract the same kind of resident mix we see in the rest of Sam Hughes. After some rethinking, the next plan was for a mixed use development offering some neighborhood amenities as well as housing. In contrast to the original project of 4 bedroom units, this one has a larger number of units of 2 and 3 bedrooms. It also has about 45,000 square feet of retail/commercial space, which is planned to hold several restaurants, shops, and offices.
As a result of feedback on the first mixed-use plan, Town West presented three more plans of densities and heights ranging between those of the dormitory plan and the first mixed-use plan. Most of these plans would have necessitated a change to both the Neighborhood Plan and zoning, requiring public hearings, the next of which will be on June 4 before the Planning Commission in the Tucson City Council Chambers at 7PM.
On June 3, the SHNA Board held a meeting to gather input from the neighbors.At that time, the neighborhood voted against the student housing complex and in favor of Plan C. There were suggestions for modifications that might be incorporated into the neighborhood plan and into any zoning change request or CC&R's that might be signed in future. Because of the last minute changes to the proposed plan amendment, the Planning Commission voted unanimously to postpone a decision until its next meeting on July 2. It is essential that all interested neighbors either send letters or FAXes (NOT emails) to the Commissioners (and write ones to Mayor and Council as well) or come to the hearings. After all, SHNA is but one of many parties to whom the Planning Commission is responsible; we would like a neighborhood show of support to solidify our position before the Commission and Mayor and Council.
If you are interested in these meetings, please send your name and e-mail to us at samhughesneighbors@mac.com so we can send you regular e-mail updates. This is also the address to use to forward comments about the project to the Zoning Committee.
If you haven't already done so, please take a moment to fill out the membership application at Participate.
Plan C: Mixed use retail and 60 Condominiums (16,000SF retail and condos in 2 and 3 story, 44' height; remaining condos in 2 story, 25' height) |
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