Print All

AGENDA
ORO VALLEY PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION
SPECIAL SESSION
April 7, 2026
CANYON DEL ORO HIGH SCHOOL - MULTI-PURPOSE ROOM
25 W. CALLE CONCORDIA

For information on public comment procedures, please see the instructions for in person and/or virtual speakers at the end of the agenda.

To watch and/or listen to the public meeting online, please visit https://www.orovalleyaz.gov/town/departments/town-clerk/meetings-and-agendas

Executive Sessions – Upon a vote of the majority of the Planning and Zoning Commission, the Commission may enter into Executive Sessions pursuant to Arizona Revised Statutes §38-431.03 (A)(3) to obtain legal advice on matters listed on the Agenda.

SPECIAL SESSION AT OR AFTER 6:00 PM

CALL TO ORDER

ROLL CALL

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

CALL TO AUDIENCE - at this time, any member of the public is allowed to address the Commission on any issue not listed on today's agenda. Pursuant to the Arizona open meeting law, individual Commission members may ask Town staff to review the matter, ask that the matter be placed on a future agenda, or respond to criticism made by speakers. However, the Commission may not discuss or take legal action on matters raised during "Call to Audience." In order to speak during "Call to Audience", please specify what you wish to discuss when completing the blue speaker card.

COUNCIL LIAISON COMMENTS

SPECIAL SESSION AGENDA

ELECTION OF CHAIR FOR THE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION

ELECTION OF VICE CHAIR FOR THE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION

REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF THE DECEMBER 2, 2025 REGULAR SESSION MEETING MINUTES

PUBLIC HEARING: DISCUSSION ONLY ABOUT THE FINAL RESIDENT RECOMMENDED DRAFT OF OV'S PATH FORWARD, THE COMMUNITY'S NEXT 10-YEAR GENERAL PLAN

PLANNING UPDATE (INFORMATIONAL ONLY)

ADJOURNMENT

POSTED: 4/1/2026 at 5:00 p.m. by ck

When possible, a packet of agenda materials as listed above is available for public inspection at least 24 hours prior to the Commission meeting in the Town Clerk's Office between the hours of 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

The Town of Oro Valley complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). If any person with a disability needs any type of accommodation, please notify the Town Clerk's Office at least five days prior to the Commission meeting at 229-4700.

PUBLIC COMMENT ON AGENDA ITEMS

The Town has modified its public comment procedures for its public bodies to allow for limited remote/virtual comment via Zoom. The public may provide comments remotely only on items posted as required Public Hearings, provided the speaker registers 24 hours prior to the meeting. For all other items, the public may complete a blue speaker card to be recognized in person by the Chair, according to all other rules and procedures. Written comments can also be emailed to Recording Secretary Jeanna Ancona at jancona@orovalleyaz.gov, for distribution to the Planning and Zoning Commission prior to the meeting. Further instructions to speakers are noted below.

INSTRUCTIONS TO IN-PERSON SPEAKERS

Members of the public shall be allowed to speak on posted public hearings and during Call to Audience when attending the meeting in person. The public may be allowed to speak on other posted items on the agenda at the discretion of the Chair.

If you wish to address the Commission on any item(s) on this agenda, please complete a blue speaker card located on the Agenda table at the back of the room and give it to the Recording Secretary. Please indicate on the blue speaker card which item number and topic you wish to speak on, or, if you wish to speak during Call to Audience, please specify what you wish to discuss.

Please step forward to the podium when the Chair calls on you to address the Commission.

For the record, please state your name and whether or not you are a Town resident.
Speak only on the issue currently being discussed by the Commission. You will only be allowed to address the Commission one time regarding the topic being discussed.
Please limit your comments to 3 minutes.
During Call to Audience, you may address the Commission on any matter that is not on the agenda.
Any member of the public speaking, must speak in a courteous and respectful manner to those present.

INSTRUCTIONS TO VIRTUAL SPEAKERS FOR PUBLIC HEARINGS

Members of the public may attend the meeting virtually and request to speak virtually on any agenda item that is listed as a Public Hearing. If you wish to address the Commission virtually during any listed Public Hearing, please complete the online speaker form by clicking here https://forms.orovalleyaz.gov/forms/bluecard at least 24 hours prior to the start of the meeting. You must provide a valid email address in order to register. Town Staff will email you a link to the Zoom meeting the day of the meeting. After being recognized by the Chair, staff will unmute your microphone access and you will have 3 minutes to address the Commission. Further instructions regarding remote participation will be included in the email.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Planning & Zoning Commission Special Session

AGENDA ITEM: 3.

Meeting Date:

04/07/2026

Requested by:

Bayer Vella, Community and Economic Development

Case Number:

N/A

SUBJECT:

REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF THE DECEMBER 2, 2025 REGULAR SESSION MEETING MINUTES

RECOMMENDATION:

Staff recommends approval.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

N/A.

BACKGROUND OR DETAILED INFORMATION:

N/A.

FISCAL IMPACT:

N/A.

SUGGESTED MOTION:

I MOVE to approve the December 2, 2025 meeting minutes as presented.

or

I MOVE to approve the December 2, 2025 meeting minutes with the following changes...

Attachments

12-2-2025 Draft Meeting Minutes

Planning & Zoning Commission Special Session

AGENDA ITEM: 4.

Meeting Date:

04/07/2026

Requested by:

Bayer Vella, Community and Economic Development

Case Number:

Not applicable.

SUBJECT:

PUBLIC HEARING: DISCUSSION ONLY ABOUT THE FINAL RESIDENT RECOMMENDED DRAFT OF OV'S PATH FORWARD, THE COMMUNITY'S NEXT 10-YEAR GENERAL PLAN

RECOMMENDATION:

This is the first of two required public hearings for OV's Path Forward. No action is to be taken at this meeting. A formal recommendation will be requested at the 2nd public hearing, scheduled for April 14, 2026.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

OV's Path Forward (Attachment 1) is a resident-created plan that will guide town decisions over the next 10 years. The process and product has centered on ensuring resident ownership of the plan. This public hearing is the first step in the adoption process, which ends with residents voting on the plan this November. The purpose of this public hearing is to hear questions and comments from the community and the Commission. The Planning and Zoning Commission will be tasked with making a recommendation to the Town Council at the second public hearing scheduled for April 14, 2026.

A resident-driven process. OV's Path Forward was created by residents and must be approved by residents. This resident-driven process began in January 2023, with residents identifying the methods and tools to engage the community through an award-winning Community Engagement Plan. Implementing the engagement plan (see Attachment 2) serves as the most extensive community engagement process the Town has ever conducted for a project. The process to adopt a new 10-year plan is divided into three phases:

Phase 1: "Let's Talk" — In October 2023, the effort to create the plan officially launched with Phase 1: "Let's Talk." During this phase, residents provided over 9,000 comments to identify their values, priorities, and expectations for Oro Valley's future. This substantial guidance established the foundation for the plan and was summarized in the vision statement and guiding principles.
Phase 2: "Let's Think" — Starting in January 2025, four resident working groups met approximately 29 times to create a draft plan that reflects the majority of resident voices heard in Phase 1. Over the past year, several drafts of the plan were published and vetted by the broader community to ensure it accurately represented residents.
Phase 3: "Residents Decide" — This final phase will start in August 2026. The purpose of this final phase is to ensure residents are aware of the Plan and feel empowered to act at the polls in November.

Over 10,700 comments were received to create the 10-year plan. The top priority throughout this entire process was creating a plan that reflects the majority of residents' values, priorities, and expectations for the Town's future.

A plan that reflects the majority of residents. The plan covers all major topics that influence Oro Valley's quality of life. Although some topics are required by state law, OV's Path Forward exceeds state requirements by truly involving residents and incorporating topics they deem important. Examples include arts and culture, economic development, financial stability, and more.

The vision statement, guiding principles, goals, policies, and actions related to these topics were written to reflect residents' values and aspirations for Oro Valley's future. Great care was taken to balance varying perspectives and the needs of a diverse community. The majority of the comments received through the community reviews confirm the plan achieves this balance and represents residents.

Changes between the 60% draft and the Final Resident Recommended Draft
The 60% draft of the Plan was presented to the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Town Council in September 2025. The Town Council accepted the 60% draft, "with option 3 for the height guiding principle for the community to consider as part of their review." The plan was subsequently reviewed by the broader community, stakeholders, State and local agencies, and resident working group participants.

Based on the multiple resident reviews and discussions, refinements were made to the plan. However, there were no significant changes in direction or to the wording "accepted" in the 60% draft. For example, the language related to the "views" guiding principle, goals, policies, and actions were not significantly changed. Key aspects the Planning and Zoning Commission should be aware of, include:

The resident working group participants were able to achieve consensus on all aspects of the draft plan, except the wording for the policies related to views. Although the majority of the participants accepted the Town Council's language, a small minority wanted changes. Ultimately, the group decided to leave the policies as written and defer to the Planning and Zoning Commission or the Town Council to make necessary revisions.
Clarifications: Existing goals, policies, and actions were expanded upon or revised to ensure residents' intent is clear. Specifically, Action 69 related to a performing arts center was revised by the resident working group to maintain the Town's role and expectation that "the Center is financially self-sustaining and independent of the Town" but provide flexibility for future decision-makers and residents to be involved.
New Actions: 8 new actions were included in the 90% draft plan distributed to the Planning and Zoning Commission in January. These were related to emergency service providers (Action 24), intergenerational programs (Action 38), senior task forces (Action 41), the Overlook Restaurant (Action 80), the Vistoso Trails Nature Preserve (Action 87), trail access (Action 89), and swimming pools (Action 172). An additional action was added to this draft to "continue participating in regional park and recreational planning efforts (Action 82)."

Overall, the Final Resident Recommended Draft is very similar to the 60% draft and the 90% draft previously distributed to the Planning and Zoning Commission. It represents a culmination of work done over the past 3 years by residents, community stakeholders, town boards, commissions and the Town Council. It is imperative the draft plan represents the majority of residents as it will only be successful and achieve voter approval if it continues to resonate with the community. Since the plan was created and reviewed by residents, staff recommends no significant changes at this point in the process. This has been a meticulous effort to achieve resident consensus.

BACKGROUND OR DETAILED INFORMATION:

Residents play a pivotal role in creating OV's Path Forward from start to finish. Beginning in January 2023, they created an award-winning Community Engagement Plan and brand to invite residents to participate. This plan outlined the tools and methods used to engage residents. The plan made sure residents were the top priority and the process was "convenient, accessible, transparent, and meaningful." Through this guidance, residents were encouraged to share their perspectives and ideas, engage, and collaborate to create a plan that represents the majority of their voices. Implementing the engagement plan represents the most extensive outreach the Town has ever done for a project (see Attachment 2).

This resident-driven effort to create OV's Path Forward officially launched in October 2023. The first two phases (of 3 total phases) of the project were as follows:

Phase 1: "Let's Talk" (October 2023–December 2024). The first phase focused on listening to residents to understand their priorities and expectations for Oro Valley's future. A variety of methods were used to reach as many people as possible. Residents were invited to share their voice through postcards, roadway signs, local newsletters, social media, newspaper ads and articles, podcasts, videos and more. Three questions were posed during this phase: 1) What do you like best about Oro Valley? 2) What should Oro Valley be known for? and 3) What will be Oro Valley's biggest challenges over the next three years? Residents discussed the questions online and gave their responses on sticky notes at 93 booths set up in front of local restaurants, along trails, at community events, and more. Approximately 6,389 comments were provided online or at events.

In addition to the online discussions and pop-up events, a survey was conducted. A phone survey, statistically representative of all Oro Valley adults, took place in the spring of 2024. To ensure that everyone had an opportunity to take it, the same survey was also offered online and in paper format. It was published in the NW Explorer, included with the Oro Valley water bills, and promoted through postcards, social media, roadway signs, newspaper ads and articles. Approximately 3,016 surveys were completed.

Result of Phase 1: The substantial guidance provided during this phase established a solid foundation for the Plan with themes being summarized into a big-picture vision and draft guiding principes. The draft vision and guiding principles were improved by the community, then accepted by the Town Council in December 2024.

Phase 2: "Let's Think" (January 2025–July 2026). The second phase aimed to create a specific course of action the Town will take to fulfill the community's vision and guiding principles. Using the substantial guidance provided in Phase 1, four resident working groups met 29 times to draft goals, policies, and actions. The groups met online and focused on different topics each month. The convenience of monthly topics and online meetings more than doubled the participation in working groups, compared to 10 years ago. Not only were more residents representing a broader range of ages and demographics involved, but for many, this was their first time engaging with the Town.

The four groups and topics covered in the plan are as follows:

Community Resident Working Group — Crafted 9 goals, several policies, and 110 actions related to public safety, community character, arts, culture, parks, recreation, and trails.
Sustainability Resident Working Group — Crafted 11 goals with associated policies and 75 actions related to environmental and cultural resources, climate, water resources and conservation.
Economy Resident Working Group — Crafted 5 goals with associated policies and 42 actions related to the Town's financial stability, business attraction and retention, and tourism.
Development Resident Working Group — Crafted 10 goals with associated policies and 58 actions related to transportation, housing, and development. This group also reviewed the land use map.

Their efforts created several drafts of the Plan that were reviewed by the broader community, state and local agencies.

May 2025 — A 30% "Resident Working Group Draft" was published and reviewed by all resident working group participants, community stakeholders, like the OV Chamber of Commerce and environmental groups, town boards, commissions and the Town Council. This was the first time participants saw each other's work. They provided 341 comments that helped make sure the plan was cohesive.
September 2025 — A 60% "Community Comment Draft" was published and the BIG Community Review was launched. This was the first time a complete draft of the web-based plan was released. Prior to the BIG Community Review, residents helped make sure the website was easy to navigate and understand. The entire community was invited to participate in the BIG Community Review through postcards, roadway signs, newsletters, newspaper ads and articles. Resident working group participants were brought back together in December to provide additional guidance on specific actions the community determined needed more attention. The 359 comments received help clarify actions, fill in gaps, and improve accuracy.
January 2026 — A 90% "Resident Recommended Draft" was published and distributed to resident working group participants, community stakeholders, state, and local agencies. The 117 comments received helped make final refinements.

Result of Phase 2: The Final Resident Recommended Draft (Attachment 1) represents a culmination of work completed over the past 3 years by residents, community stakeholders, town boards, commissions and the Town Council.

The Planning and Zoning Commission's role is to verify the plan honors the majority of resident voices heard throughout this process. Since the plan was created and reviewed by residents, staff recommends no significant changes be made at this point in the process.

DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS
The 10-year plan covers a variety of topics that influence the quality of life in Oro Valley. The plan not only meets state requirements but exceeds them by genuinely involving residents and incorporating additional topics that were important to them. The vision, guiding principles, goals, policies, and actions are written to reflect what residents value about Oro Valley and their aspirations for its future. Key themes identified during Phase 1 and reflected in the plan include:

Overall, residents are proud to live in Oro Valley. The majority of the actions aim to maintain the characteristics they value most, which include being one of the safest communities in Arizona, conserving views and the natural environment, and opportunities for an active, outdoor lifestyle.
More focus on amenities and things to do. Over the past 10 years, the town has grown and is approaching build-out. It is typical as the town matures for less focus on development and more on filling in gaps. Due to this, new projects or efforts identified in the plan focus on park and recreational amenities, business attraction and retention, and gathering spaces.
Great care was taken to balance the varying perspectives and needs of a diverse community. For example, the plan honors residents' preference for 1–2-story buildings but also their acceptance that taller buildings may be okay depending on the benefit to the community and location. Another example is the housing goals, policies, and actions that honor residents' preference for single-family homes and ownership while also reflecting the residents' identified need to have more housing options for young people, the workforce, and seniors.

Going from a 60% draft to the Final Resident Recommended Draft:
Since the effort officially launched in 2023, town staff has updated the Planning and Zoning Commission 10 times about the residents' progress to create OV's Path Forward. Our last major update was presenting the 60% draft to the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Town Council in September 2025. The Town Council accepted the 60% draft "with option three(3) for the height guiding principle for the community to consider as part of their review, and direct staff to draft additional sustainability goals, principles, and action items to reflect support for small-scale food production and animal husbandry." Goal R: Food Access was added, and the plan was subsequently reviewed by the broader community, stakeholders, State and local agencies, and resident working groups.

Based on multiple resident reviews and discussions, refinements were made to the plan. However, there have been no significant changes in direction, including the "views" related guiding principle, goal, policies or actions that were accepted by the Town Council last September (see table below). It is important to note, the only aspect the resident working groups were unable to reach consensus on were the policies related to views. Although the majority of the participants accepted the Town Council's language, a small minority wanted changes to the terms "limit" and "restrict". Ultimately, the group decided to leave the policies as written and defer to the Planning and Zoning Commission or the Town Council to make necessary revisions.

Views

60% Draft Accepted by Town Council

90% Draft (distributed in January) and Final Resident Recommended Draft (current)

Guiding Principle

Protect mountain views.

Honor the community's preference for 1-2 story buildings and acceptance for 3-story buildings on appropriate sites.
Limit building heights to no more than 3-stories for residential uses and facilities, like senior care
Create effective transitions between varying building heights
Mitigate the appearance of building scale and bulk through design

Conserve highly valued community views.

Honor the preferences for 1-2 story buildings and acceptance for 3-story buildings on appropriate sites.
Limit building heights to no more than 3 stories for residential uses and facilities, like senior care.
Create effective transitions between varying building heights.
Mitigate the appearance of larger buildings (scale and mass) through design.

Goal

Ensure mountain views are protected through the development process.

Ensure views are conserved through the development process.

Policies

Policy 1: Limit 2-3 story apartment communities to targeted sites along major roads that are near commercial areas and significantly distant from single-family residential.
Policy 2: Restrict rezoning requests for residential (e.g., apartments) and common commercial service uses like senior care or self-storage, to a maximum of 3 stories.
Policy 3: Consider additional height requests for highly significant and unique non-residential employment, or revenue-generating uses (like the hospital, primary employers, or hotels) in areas where topography mitigates view impacts.
Policy 4: Create transitions between varying building heights by positioning taller buildings away from existing homes and on lower areas of the site.

Policy 1: Limit 2-3 story apartment communities to targeted sites along major roads that are near commercial areas and significantly distant from single-family residential.
Policy 2: Restrict rezoning requests for residential (e.g., apartments) and common commercial service uses (e.g., senior care or self-storage) to a maximum of 3 stories.
Policy 3: Consider additional height requests for highly significant and unique non-residential employment, or revenue-generating uses (like the hospital, primary employers, or hotels) in areas where topography mitigates view impacts.
Policy 4: Create transitions between varying building heights by positioning taller buildings away from existing homes and on lower areas of the site.

Actions

268: Identify appropriate locations for 2-3 story apartment communities that are:

In proximity to Oracle Road with pedestrian access to shops, services, employment areas, and transportation options.
Separated from existing single-family subdivisions by enhancing setbacks unless a physical barrier exists, such as topography, washes, roadway. etc.

269: Maintaining existing building height requirements for:

Commercial and tech-park zoning districts
Oracle Road and Tangerine Road scenic corridors

268: Identify appropriate locations for 2-3 story apartment communities that are:

In proximity to Oracle Road with pedestrian access to shops, services, employment areas, and transportation options.
Separated from existing single-family subdivisions by enhancing setbacks unless a physical barrier exists, such as topography, washes, roadway. etc.

269: Maintaining existing building height requirements for:

Commercial and tech-park zoning districts
Oracle Road and Tangerine Road scenic corridors

Refinements include:

Proofreading edits: Include minor text edits to address grammatical or formatting errors.
Updated data: The land use distribution tables and associated charts were updated to reflect the current version of the Land Use Map. The "Transit" and the "Bicycle and Pedestrian Routes" maps were also updated to reflect up-to-date information received from the Pima Association of Governments (PAG) and through the OV Trails Connect (a plan for Oro Valley's paved paths and dirt trails) effort.
Acknowledgments: The plan was created from 1000s of resident voices. Appreciation to those who took the time to help shape the plan was added, along with a specific mention of residents who committed extra time and care to creating the plan.
Organization: Goal O was previously titled, "Recycling" yet included actions related to waste reduction, solar, and air quality. For clarity, the title of the goal was updated to "Waste Reduction," and only associated actions are now under it. A new goal was created for Air Quality and the solar-related actions were moved under Goal Q: Utilities. Creating a new goal required all subsequent goals and policies to be renumbered.
Clarifications: Existing goals, policies, and actions were expanded upon or revised to ensure residents' intent is clear. Additionally, Action 69 related to a performing arts center was revised by the resident working group to maintain the Town's role and expectation that "the Center is financially self-sustaining and independent of the Town" but provide flexibility for future decision-makers and residents to be involved.
New Actions: 8 new actions were included in the 90% draft plan distributed to the Planning and Zoning Commission in January. These were related to emergency service providers (Action 24), intergenerational programs (Action 38), senior task forces (Action 41), the Overlook Restaurant (Action 80), the Vistoso Trails Nature Preserve (Action 87), trail access (Action 89), and swimming pools (Action 172). An additional action was added to this draft to "continue participating in regional park and recreational planning efforts (Action 82)."

Overall, the plan content is very similar to the previous drafts reviewed by the community, including the Commission. The main change between this draft and previous versions is the design of the PDF supplement. The PDF supplement now includes graphics and photos to match the web-based version available on OVPathForward.com.

SUMMARY AND NEXT STEPS
The top priority throughout this entire process was creating a plan that reflected the majority of residents' values, priorities, and expectations for the Town's future. The only way for the plan to be successful and achieve voter approval is if it resonates with the community. Overall, the Final Resident Recommended Draft is very similar to the 60% and 90% draft previously distributed to the Planning and Zoning Commission. Although refinements were made to the plan, no changes in direction were made. The plan takes great care to ensure the plan balances varying perspectives and achieves this priority. The community reviews and resident working group consensus confirm this priority has been met.

This public hearing is the first step in the adoption process. A second public hearing is scheduled on April 14, 2026, in which the Planning and Zoning Commission will be tasked with making a recommendation to the Town Council. Town Council approval will signify the plan is ready to be placed on the ballot for voter ratification in November. Phase 3: "Residents Decide" will launch this August to help raise awareness and empower residents to act the polls. Similar to Phase 1, extensive community engagement will take place, which will include postcards, roadway signs, videos, podcasts, local newsletters, and more.

FISCAL IMPACT:

Not applicable.

SUGGESTED MOTION:

No action will be taken during this public hearing. The purpose of this public hearing is to hear questions and comments from the community and the Commission. The Planning and Zoning Commission will be tasked with making a recommendation to the Town Council at the second public hearing scheduled for April 14, 2026.

Attachments

ATTACHMENT 1 - FINAL RESIDENT RECOMMENDED DRAFT PLAN

ATTACHMENT 2 - CEP IMPLEMENTATION

ATTACHMENT 3 - PZC MEMO 1.16.2026

PZC Presentation