Look for minutes of recent meetings on the Board Business page.

There was a public hearing on Monday, May 17, 2004  in the Mayor and Council Chambers of City Hall, 255 West Alameda concerning proposed changes in the Land Use Code.  Click here to see the proposed changes.  

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 had a larger number of units of 2 and 3 bedrooms. It also had about 45,000 square feet of retail/commercial space, which was 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 July 2 at 7PM), before the Planning Commission in the Tucson City Council Chambers.

On June 3, the SHNA Board held a meeting to gather input from the neighbors. At that time, the neighborhood voted unanimously against the student housing complex and overwhelmingly in favor of Plan C rather than the lower density alternatives. 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. At that time, the Planning Commission voted unanimously to approve the plan amendment. In a vote on August 4, Mayor and Council also agreed unanimously to pass the plan amendment.

At this time, the Zoning Committeee of SHNA is working with the developer to write a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) containing provisions for the construction, management, and maintenance of the development, which is currently named Sam Hughes Place at the Corner. It is our intention to request that many of the details be incorporated into the conditions of rezoning, with the remainder going into CC&R's between the SHNA and the developer. We hope to publish our MOU here for all to see within a week or so, but click the link to the left to see the draft that was presented at the rezoning public hearing, held October 9 at 7:30PM in Mayor and Council Chambers. It appears that the rezoning issue will go to Mayor and Council on November 10. If you have comments to make about the rezoning, please direct them to members of Mayor and Council or call Glenn Moyers at 791-4541 X 1167 or Aline Torres at 791-4541 X 1143. Please keep an eye on these pages for information regarding last-minute requests to M&C for items to be included in the rezoning conditions.

 

The Plan: Mixed use retail and about 46 Condominiums (16,000-22,000SF retail some office and condos in the 3 story, 44' height corner building; remaining condos in 2 story, 28' height buildings) Perspective and Elevation of Mixed Use Building

Condo Grouping Along Norris Ave.