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Resolution 2001-146 santa cruz river corridor plan
MARANA RESOLUTION N0.2001-146 A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL OF THE TOWN OF MARANA, ARIZONA, ADOPTING THE SANTA CRUZ RIVER CORRIDOR PLAN AS AN AMENDMENT TO THE GENERAL PLAN. WHEREAS, the Santa Cruz River Corridor Plan embodies the Town's vision for consistent community development as mandated by the Mayor and Council; and WHEREAS, the overall goal of the River Corridor Plan is to ensure that the corridor becomes a major asset to the community, helping to define a sense of place and community pride, not a physical, economical and sociological barrier dividing the Town; and WHEREAS, the plan's purpose is to provide effective coordination of the Town's natural features with community goals through a system of policies for future land use decisions; and WHEREAS, this plan developed from diligent information gathering and reseazch by a Technical Advisory Group (TAG) of almost forty (40) members with unique expertise, which produced the "Technical Advisory Group Findings"; and WHEREAS, the "Technical Advisory Group Findings" were evaluated by the Community Task Force and utilized to develop a comprehensive set of recommendations titled the "Community Task Force Recommendations"; and WHEREAS, the "Community Task Force Recommendations" were presented at three public meetings held in August 2001; and WHEREAS, the Santa Cruz River Corridor Plan contains an Executive Summary, "Technical Advisory Group Findings", "Community Task Force Recommendations", Geographical Information System (GIS) maps, Decision Support Matrices and Public Comments; along with additional support documentation; and WHEREAS, the Mazana Planning and Zoning Commission held a public hearing and voted to unanimously recommend that the Town Council adopt the Santa Cruz River Corridor Plan Element of the Town of Mazana General Plan on September 26, 2001; and WHEREAS, the Mazana Town Council has heard from the Town's Consultant, staff, and members of the public at the regular Town Council meeting on this date; and WHEREAS, the Mayor and Council of the Town of Mazana, after a public hearing conducted on this date, have determined that approving the proposed Santa Cruz River Corridor Mazana Resolution No. 2001-146 page 1 of 2 Plan Element of the General Plan is in the best interest of the residents of Mazana. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Mayor and Council of the Town of Mazana, Arizona, that the attached Santa Cmz River Corridor Plan, attached hereto as Exhibit A and incorporated herein by this reference, shall be adopted as an amendment to the Town of Marana General Plan as presented in the staff report and by the Town's Engineering Division. PASSED AND ADOPTED by the Mayor and Council of the Town of Mazana, Arizona, this 20th day of November, 2001. ATTEST: Daniel J. Hoc uli, as Town Attorney and not personally Mayor BO SU ON, JR. Mazana Resolution No. 2001-146 page 2 of 2 APPROVED AS TO FORM: EXHIBIT A DUE TO ITS SIZE, EXHIBIT ~~A", THE SANTA CRUZ RIVER CORRIDOR PLAN, HAS NOT BEEN ATTACHED TO THIS RESOLUTION. THREE COPIES OF THIS DOCUMENT ARE AVAILABLE FOR PUBLIC VIEWING DURING REGULAR BUSINESS HOURS AT THE MARANA TOWN HALL, 13251 N. LON ADAMS ROAD, MARANA, AZ 85653. • TOWN OF MARANA SANTA CRUZ RIVER CORRIDOR PLAN TECHNICAL ADVISORY GROUP FINDINGS AND COMMUNITY TASK FORCE RECOMMENDATIONS October 31, 2001 Project Director Farhad Moghimi, P.E. GIS Development and Map Preparation Kevin Sweeney Technical Assistance and Planning Coordination Myrlene Francis Jennifer Ward Administration Janet Mensing Consultant Mark H. Myers, M.B.A • • TOWN OF MARANA SANTA CRUZ RIVER CORRIDOR PLAN TECHNICAL ADVISORY GROUP FINDINGS AND COMMUNITY TASK FORCE RECOMMENDATIONS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY October 31, 2001 The Mayor and Council of the Town of Marano have established and maintained a consistent vision for a modern community with a high quality of life and economic opportunity for all of Marana's residents.. As one of many steps in implementing that vision,. the-Mayor and Council mandated development of a Santa~Cruz River Corridor Plan as an amendment to the Marano General Plana The Santa Cruz River corridor is one of the three dominant linear features of the Town. The. other two are Interstate 10 and the Union Pacific Railroad right-of--way. The overall goal of the river corridor planning process is to ensure that the corridor becomes a major asset to the community, helping to define a sense of place and community pride, not a physical, economic and sociological barrier dividing the town. - The corridor planning process involved three major phases. The first phase, completed in December, 2000, focused primarily on information gathering and organization. Assisting in this process was a Technical Advisory Group (TAG) of more than 40 members with special expertise regarding one or more elements of the planning process. The Technical Advisory Group Findings constitute the summary of the work of TAG. The secondphase of the process required subjecting the findings of TAG o careful community scrutiny with respect to social, economic and political considerations.. This phase included three maj or elements: (1) review of TAG findings and development of corridor plan recommendations by the Marano Community.Task Force; (2) presentation of the plan recommendations to Marana's residents for input and comment at three public workshops; and (3) focus group meeting with representatives of three private sector groups with major real property interests along the river corridor. The Community Task Force Recommendations section of the report. includes the specific policy recommendations developed by the Task Force for reviewby the general public at the workshops conducted in August, 2001, and at the focus group meetings in October, 2001. The final step in the corridor plan development process consists. of presentation of the Task Force recommendations, first to the Planning and Zoning Commission (approved in .September, 2001) and then to Mayor and Council for approval as an .amendment to the Marano General Plan. This. phase also. involves approval. of process recommendations necessary for the plan's .effective implementation. The Technical Advisory Group Findings and Community Task Force Recommendations report (TAG Findings) is one of four products of the informational phase of the planning process. The other products are mapping .capabilities developed through Marana's Geographic Information • System (GIS), GIS decision support tools related to land use impacts and compatibility, and a hard copy library of documents and studies related to elements of concern in the corridor planning process. • TOWN OF MARANA SANTA. CRUZ RIVER CORRIDOR PLAN TECHNICAL ADVISORY GROUP FINDINGS AND COMMUNITY TASK FORCE RECOMMENDATIONS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY October 31, 2001 (page 2) The TAG Findings first review the goals of the river corridor planning. effort and describe the planning process itself. Then,. significant constraints are identified that affect the ability to plan the river corridor.. The constraints are grouped into three. categories: Physical Constraints, InstitutionaURegulatory Constraints, and SociaUBehavioraUPublic Safety Constraints. After the analysis of constraints, the TAG Findings explore major planning opportunities that are keys to successful long-term management of the Santa Cruz River corridor. These opportunities are . grouped into two categories: Economic Opportunities and Quality of Life Opportunities. The report then presents the most important findings of the Technical Advisory Group. These findings form the basis of the policy recommendations developed by the Marana Community Task Force. These Task Force Recommendations constitute the final section of the body of the report. • Addenda to the report include a set of maps derived from the GIS work of TAG and Marana staff, as well as land use impact and compatibility matrices that evaluate and compare the impacts and relative compatibility of various potential river corridor land uses. These addenda are illustrative of the capabilities of Marana's GIS system. The GIS system and its decision support tools are expected to be the `living' products of the corridor planning process-evolving over time and available to staff, landowners and residents as a critical tool for future land use decisions. :7 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction Background Goals Description of Planning Process Corridor Planning Constraints Opportunities Summary of TAG Findings Community Task Force Recommendations Addenda Technical Advisory Group Membership Community Task Force Membership Maps Decision Support Matrices Airport Land Use Restrictions Comment Summaries Page 2 Page 3 >; Page 6 Page 11 Page 18 Page 20 Addendum A Addendum B Addendum C Addendum D Addendum E Addendum F • • INTRODUCTION Physically, the Santa Cruz River Corridor, together with Interstate l0 and the Union Pacific Railroad tracks (both of which parallel the river), constitute the dominant linear features of the Town of Marana. Historically, such linear elements as rivers, major highways and railroads have tended to serve as barriers dividing communities, with distinct and very different socioeconomic conditions developing on each side. The connections linking the opposite sides of such corridors are often limited and tenuous both physically and socially. This division has historically been so common that `wrong side of the tracks' has become a universally understood expression. A laissez faire approach to planning for corridors tends to exacerbate this tendency--allowing the physical problems associated with linear features to dictate a fragmented and unconnected patchwork of incompatible development and economic activities. Sewer and water may be available on one side of the corridor, but not the other. One side will have good access to employment and services, but the other side will-not. The end result is that the inherent physical corridor difficulties. compound and become a chronic problem for the community. Although the outcome of a `benign neglect' strategy for linear corridor development is likely to create ongoing problems for a community, much more positive outcomes are also possible. With vision, leadership and thoughtful planning, a corridor can become a unifying element connecting a community, reflecting a sense of place and a shared vision. Though physical connection problems • must still be overcome, the corridor can serve as the backbone connecting a community, not just a barrier dividing it. Further, the barriereffect can be used as a planning tool to separate land uses and activities that should not be placed in close proximity. Typically, cities and towns begin to pay attention to the character of their river corridors when they become the focus of serious problems-often urban decay, water quality .deterioration or flooding. Most corridors that have received serious planning attention in recent years have been in heavily urbanized areas, where degrees of freedom are limited and solutions are extremely expensive. Examples include the San Antonio River Walk, the Tempe Town Lake, and the proposed Rio Nuevo project in Tucson. Evidence indicates that, even in such areas where planning flexibility is very limited, such river corridor `theme' projects can be very beneficial to their communities. The Mayor and Council of the Town of Marana have established and maintained a consistent vision for a modern community with a high. quality of life and economic opportunity for all of its residents, which also preserves and enhances the cultural heritage and natural environment of the community. This vision is enunciated in Marana's General Plan, called out in greater detail in the Northwest Marana Area Plan, .and is the core of the mandate given when the Mayor and Council authorized development of a Santa Cruz River Corridor Plan amendment to the Marana GeneralPlan. Marana is committed to making the river corridor a major asset to the community as it grows.. • 2 • BACKGROUND Goals of the Santa Cruz River Corridor Planning Process. l . Develop a river corridor plan (Comdor Plan) that reflects the character of the community and helps to define and differentiate the Town ofMarana (Marana). 2. Integrate planning for the Santa Cruz River corridor within and. adjacent to Marana with .other Marana planning activities. 3. Coordinate Marana's river corridor planning activities with related planning activities of other interested agencies and jurisdictions. Provide input and guidance to such other .planning efforts to ensure they reflect the needs and concerns of Marana and its residents. 4. Facilitate efficient use of municipal funds and resources. 5. Identify and acquire outside funding to assist with plan implementation whenever. possible. 6. Identify opportunities to achieve multiple community objectives through development of multiple. purpose river corridor projects. 7. Provide quality of life improvements through open space protection, developed recreational opportunities, facilitation of community affinity groups, environmental enhancement and preservation, effective floodplain management and: flood control, compatible adjacent land uses, and increased propertyvalues. • 8. Assist in ensuring the water resource future of Marana. 9. Assist in protecting Marana's agricultural economic base during the transition to urban uses, and assist with preserving the agricultural heritage of the community. 10. Assist in efficiently providing for infrastructure needs in the areas of wastewater, .potable water, groundwater recharge and recovery, effluent utilization, transportation, flood control, utility corridors, trails, affinity group facilities and community. recreation. 11. Help protect the future of Marana's Northwest Regional Airport. 12. Assist in developing a comprehensive habitat conservation plan for Marana. 13. Facilitate planning for the De Anna National Historic Trail, which traverses the length of the river corridor, including .the trail itself, access, interpretive facilities, and the historic De Anza campsites south of Coachline Road and near the Pinal County line. Description of Planning Process. The Corridor Plan is a supplement to the Marana General Plan and Northwest Marana Area Plan. It draws upon and helps to guide other ongoing planning activities (trails, transportation, parks, wildlife habitat, wastewater and effluent, etc.), both within Marana and in cooperation with other agencies and jurisdictions. Very few planning elements could be treated as `givens' along the river. corridor during the planning process, thus providing few anchors for the balance of ..the planning effort. This high degree of uncertainty complicated. the planning effort, but also. offered significant opportunities to achieve • economies of scale and multiple use economies while advancing key community goals. A unique • planning process was developed in order to best manage the complexities and uncertainties of the process while gaining the highest possible added value for the community. Because of the unique characteristics and complexity of the planning needs for the corridor, the planning boundaries were not tightly defined-allowing for various planning elements to have different geographic scope. Planning for wildlife corridors, for example, required a broader geographic scope than did examining impacts and opportunities related to sand and gravel excavations or landfills. A second example was the wide variation in floodplain and floodway widths throughout the corridor. Although the study area centered on the river corridor, the Corridor Plan elements defined the study boundaries rather than having study boundaries arbitrarily limit the planning process. A second unique feature of the corridor planning process, designed to ensure that the Corridor Plan does not rapidly become out-of--date as the multiple planning elements continue to shift over time,. was the creation of a `multi-media' set of planning tools. Thus, theproducts of the planning process include this narrative document (focusing on background information, principles, concepts and policy recommendations); chard copy library of key studies, documents and maps relating to Corridor Plan elements; and a Geographic Information System (GIS) incorporating all critical data layers plus decision-making tools to assist Marana staff and landowners. in making future land use decisions for specific properties. While the Corridor Plan itself is silent on future land uses for individual properties, it will provide key tools for supporting rational, compatible future land use • decisions that take into account important planping elements and. community goals. A third differentiating aspect of the process was a concentration on minimizing the negative consequences of constraining factors and maximizing the realization of opportunities that enhance one or more of the identified community goals. To this end, constraining factors have been carefully delineated, and extensive efforts have been made to identify types of land use opportunities that are viable under various constraining conditions. Taking the process one step fizrther, additional work focused on evaluating the cross-compatibility of various land use opportunities. One of the key GIS decision-support tools is the ability of the system to .cross-match existing and proposed land uses both for viability in the context: of constraining factors and compatibility with adjoining or nearby land uses. Development of the Corridor Plan involved three distinct phases, culminating in Mayor and Council action. The first phase, primarily focused on information gathering and organization, was completed in December, 2000. A Technical Advisory Group (TAG-see Addendum A), consisting of approximately 40 technical experts and key Marana staff members, provided critical information and assisted with the development of the Corridor Plan library and the GIS mapping and decision- making tools. TAG activities included identification of constraints and opportunities, together with evaluation of existing and potential interactions of those constraints and opportunities. This report includes the TAG evaluations of constraining factors and opportunities. • TAG's role "was. primarily technical and informational in nature. The. next step in the process focused around a Marana Community Task Force (Task Force) that included representatives of 4 • various constituencies within Marana, representatives of important partnering agencies, plus some key TAG members and Marana staff (see Addendum B). The Task Force was co-chaired by Councilman Jim Blake and Assistant Town Manager Mike Reuwsaat. The Task Force filtered the findings of TAG based on social, political and economic considerations. The primary product of the Task Force was a comprehensive set ofcorridor-related policy recommendations to the community, the Planning and Zoning Commission, and to Mayor and Council. These policy recommendations constitute the final section of this report. The Task Force. also helped to hone and polish the GIS and decision-support tools. After the Task Force completed its work in June, 2001, the Corridor Plan recommendations were presented to the community in August, 2001, in three workshops-one each in `Old Town' Marana, Continental Ranch and Dove Mountain. These workshops were the public-debut of the Corridor Plan GIS and decision-support tools. The workshops served both to solicit community input on the Corridor Plan recommendations and to introduce property owners and residents to the capabilities of the GIS and its decision-support tools. A summary of public comments is included with this report in Addendum F. Additionally, copies of the draft Corridor Plan were sent to a broad spectrum of local jurisdictions and government agencies in August, 2001, for review and comment. Summaries of jurisdictional comments are also included in Addendum F. • Finally, three private sector focus groups were held in October, 2001, for entities with major real property interests along the river corridor. These focus groups were for farmers, sand and gravel operators, and homebuilders/developers. The final phase in the Corridor Plan development process was presentation of the Corridor Plan recommendations, first to the Planning and Zoning Commission in late September, 2001, and then to Mayor and Council for .approval as an amendment to the Marana General Plan. The recommendations include both land use policy and implementation components. Some of the highest value-added aspects of the Corridor Plan will require Marana to be proactive rather than reactive in its implementation. Further, Marana will have to maintain an active role in other regional planning efforts affecting the river corridor to ensure that. future activities are compatible with Marana's vision. • CORRIDOR PLANNING CONSTRAINTS The Technical Advisory Group developed two sets of tools to assist in evaluating the impacts of a wide range of constraints along the river corridor. These tool sets are the Geographic Information System data base for the corridor plan and the decision support tools that are incorporated into the GIS. A set of maps derived from the GIS data base are included herein as Addendum C, Maps 1 through 9, and will be referenced as needed in the following narrative. Additionally, Addendum D includes three matrix printouts incorporating critical information from the. GIS decision support tools. These matrices present TAG's evaluation of land use level of impact (Matrix #1), land use compatibility with various constraining factors (Matrix #2), and compatibility of adjacent land uses (Matrix #3). This discussion of corridor planning constraints will reference these matrix printouts as needed. The major constraints to planning for the river corridor'fall into three broad categories: physical,. institutionaUregulatory and social/behavioraUpublic safety. The constraints are grouped in these three categories for discussion. Physical Constraints. A. Interstate 10 and the Union Pacific Railroad Tracks. The southeastern portion of the river corridor is heavily constrained by the proximity of both the interstate highway and the railroadright-of--way (See Map 3). The physical closeness of the river, railroad and highway, combined with the currently seriously inadequate transportation crossings of the three linear features, severely complicate any effort to closely connect the portions of the community on opposite sides of these features. The three heavily traveled grade-level railroad crossings at Ina Road, Cortaro Road and Tangerine Road also present major safety concerns, as well as increasingly severe congestion problems. Farther northwest along the river corridor, greater physical separation of the river from the railroad and highway reduce. the barrier effect significantly. B. Utility Comdors, Transportation Corridors and Central Arizona. Project. The interstate highway and railroad rights-of--way incorporate a number of utility alignments, including irrigation water, wastewater, electric power, natural gas and multiple telecommunications cables. The distribution system and well production system for Cortaro-Marana Irrigation District is mostly located within or adj acent to the river corridor. A number of transportation arterials and trail alignments bisect or intersect the river corridor, as do the Central Arizona. Project aqueduct and the conveyor from Twin Peaks to the Arizona Portland Cement plant. See Maps 1, 3 and 4 for related information. C. Floodway, Floodplain and Flood Control Structures. The stretch of the river upstream of Continental. Ranch has a patchwork of bank protection and unprotected areas, plus newly permitted. but as yet unbuilt bank protection and land restoration on the east bank just upstream of Cortaro Road. Through Continental Ranch almost to Avra Valley Road, both • banks are protected with soil cement delineating both a low flow floodway channel and a 6 • larger overbank area designed to contain a 100-year flood event. From Avra Valley Road to Sanders Road, a newly completed levee protectsthe northeast bank, while natural floodplain conditions are maintained on the southwest bank, except near the Central Arizona Project aqueduct and Sanders Road bridge. Downstream of Sanders Road, no structural flood control improvements have. been made except near bridge crossings. In this area the floodplain and floodway are quite large, and are increased in size by the impact of Brawley Wash flowing in from Avra Valley to the south. Some of these flood control features are illustrated on Map 2. D. Sand and Gravel Operations and `Borrow' Pits. Maps 6 and 7 show land parcels larger than. 20 .acres and major land uses along the river corridor, .and Map 5 identifies major constraining factors forland use. Current and former excavations for sand and gravel orroad and levee f 11 material comprise major land uses in the upstream portion of the corridor and are significant land uses in the middle segment of the corridor. Identifying appropriate value-added uses for these excavation sites, when they are no longer used for sand and gravel activities, will be an important challenge for future land use planning along the river corridor., E. Landfills. Five known landfills, two active and three inactive, are located along the river corridor (see Map 5). The active landfills are Tangerine (south of Tangerine Road, west of I- 10) and Ina Road (south oflna Road, east of the river). The nactive'landfills are Marana #1 (mostly eroded away-in the Santa Cruz channel near the Sandario Road alignment), Marana #2 (just south of the Tangerine landfill and north of the river channel), and Cortaro (in the • Santa Cruz River channel about 1/4 mile upstream of Cortaro Road). The Tangerine, Marana #2 and Ina Road landfills are protected from erosion by flood control structures. Most of the landfill material in Marana #1 has already eroded away, and the Cortaro debris has been mostly removed to another landfill. Potential groundwater and soil contamination, as well as landfill gas emissions, .from the Ina and Tangerine landfills are closely monitored, and Marana #2 benefits from the monitoring at Tangerine. F. Existing Development. In addition to the landfill and excavation operations discussed above, Maps 7 and 8 also identify a range of other existing and proposed land uses along the river corridor. Upstream of Cortaro Road is a patchwork of industrial, public and residential uses. The Continental Ranch reach includes residential and commercial uses on the southwest side of the river, mainly industrial uses between the river and the railroad/interstate, and significant amounts of undeveloped land north and east of the raikoad/interstate alignment. The Rillito reach includes some heavy industrial uses combined with some agricultural use and undeveloped land. Northwest of Rillito lie increasing intensity of agricultural use, the Marana Northwest Regional Airport, groundwater recharge projects and a few residential areas. G. Archaeology. The Santa Cruz River corridor is extremely rich in prehistoric archaeological sites. Map 2 shows significant sites from the Hohokam period. Older Archaic sites are not as well known, as they tend to be deeply buried, but they also exist in the area. In addition, • the corridor includes the line of march and two of the first campsites for the De Anna 7 • expedition that founded San Francisco in 1775 (see Map 4). Both the De-Anza Trail and the campsites have been identified as important elements of Marana's trail and open space planning. H. Wildlife Habitat and Wildlife Corridors. Map 4 identifies significant riparian areas that also serve as wildlife corridors from the river to protected upland and mountain areas, as well as existing and planned riparian habitat. along the river itself. The riparian habitat, which supports a diverse population of nesting and migratory birds, is almost exclusively supported by flows of treated effluent from the Roger Road and Ina Road treatment plants. Water Quality. Marana is generally fortunate with respect to its groundwater quality. Map 1 shows known areas of groundwater contamination that are up-gradient from the municipal boundaries and might at some future date migrate northwest into the town. Additionally, the northwest portion of the river corridor borders on some areas'with elevated groundwater. nitrate levels. This portion of the Santa Cruz River has been designated by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality as Effluent Dominated Waters, and` fishing and swimming are not allowable uses of the river. However, the effluent maintains the reparian habitat and is suitable for bird-watching and other terrestrial activities. Major improvements currently under construction at the Ina Road treatment plant include denitrification of 12.5 million gallons per day of effluent discharged to the Santa Cruz River. J. Confluences with Rillito River and Canada del Oro Wash. In the most southerly portion of • the river corridor, the Rillito River and CDO Wash flow into the Santa Cruz River within a mile. of each other, complicating transportation and flood control planning for the area.. Institutional/Regulatory Constraints. K. Jurisdictional Boundaries. Significant portions of the. river corridor area are outside Marana's town limits. These areas include the Rillito area, the west side of the river south of Ina Road,. the south side of the river for about a mile east of Trico-Marana Road, and the entire river corridor northwest of Trico-Marana Road.. For the most part,- these areas. are within unincorporated Pima County. L. Pygmy Owl Habitat. The designated critical habitat for the Southwest Ferruginous Pygmy Owl is shown on Map 5. The designated habitat crosses the river corridor in the Rillito area, where substantial development has already occurred, and additional development pressure is significant. M. Airport Influence and Airport Restriction Zones. The identified Airport Influence and Restriction Zones for Marana Northwest Regional Airport are identified on Maps 3 and 5: These areas are subject to certain development restrictions necessary to ensure the future viability of the airport. Addendum E includes information delineating the specific restrictions applicable to the Marana Northwest Regional Airport.. A study is currently in • progress that will. determine if any changes will be required to the current restricted areas. 8 • N. Effluent Ownership. Though most of the wastewater treated in the two regional treatment plants flows through and/or infiltrates/evaporates within Marana along the river corridor, its ownership is a complex issue. Subsequent to leaving the treatment plants, the effluent ownership is split between the City of Tucson, the U.S. Government, Pima County, and Metropolitan Domestic Water Improvement District. The Towns of Marana and Oro Valley are expected to own small amounts in the near future. Under Arizona law, effluent becomes appropriable surface water once it enters a stream channel. However, with state managed recharge permits, up to 50% of the effluent that recharges in a specified stream segment can generate storage credits for the permit holder. The. City of Tucson and U.S. Government hold such a permit for the stretch of river from the Roger Road treatment plant to Ina Road. Cortaro-Marana Irrigation District also holds a diversion permit for effluent flows farther downstream, as well as older surface water rights dating back several decades. Additional effluent is diverted for irrigation use still further downstream, in the area of Sanders Road. O. Water Rights and Ownership. Although. Marana has excellent .access to physical water supplies, the community faces a complex set of concerns related to water resource ownership and supply. Within the town boundaries are two large municipal providers (Nlarana and Tucson), two irrigation districts (Cortaro-Marana and Avra Valley), and several miles of the Central Arizona Proj ect aqueduct. Overlapping and sometimes confusing groundwater and surface water rights characterize some of the farmlands. Marana holds only very limited quantities of water rights and contracts that are legally permissible as supply for an urban area. Thus, water resources have been identified as a critical strategic concern for the town. • P. Wastewater Treatment Regional Plan. Currently, the large majority of effluent generated in the Marana area is treated at Pima County's Ina Road plant, with all of the Continental Ranch wastewater pumped uphill to Ina Road from a pump station along Coachline Road. A small amount of wastewater from the `Old Town' area is treated at the Marana Wastewater Treatment Facility (WWTF) located northwest of where Trico-Marana Road crosses the river corridor. The preferred alternative for future wastewater treatment for Marana, as identified in a recently approved amendment to the regional 208 Areawide Water Quality Plan, calls for the expansion of the Marana WWTF in phases, ultimately reaching a capacity of 3 million gallons per day (MGD) and the construction of a new facility along Tangerine Road west of I-10, with an eventual capacity of 8 MGD. In general, the facilities would serve the areas west and east of the CAP aqueduct, respectively, Q. Multi-jurisdictional Planning Activities Affecting the River Comdor. Several ongoing regional .planning efforts, with Marana a participant in each, will influence (and be influenced by) Marana's river corridor planning. These multi jurisdictional planning activities (with primary sponsoring entities) include the Southern Arizona Regional Water Management Study (northwest Tucson water providers), the. Tucson Aqueduct System Reliability Investigation and. Regional Effluent Planning Partnership: (jurisdictions throughout the Tucson area), the Tucson Active Management. Area Regional Recharge Plan (Arizona .Department of Water Resources), the Sonoran. Desert Conservation Plan (Pima • County), Tres Rios del Norte (Pima County, Marana, Tucson), and the Cortaro Mesquite Bosque Project (Pima County, Marana). Respectively, they relate to future potable water 9 • supplies, effluent utilization, groundwater recharge, permitting under the Endangered Species Act, multi-purpose projects along the. river corridor south of Avra Valley Road, and habitat restoration near the downstream end of Continental Ranch. SociaUBehaviorallPublic Safety Constraints. R. Off-Highway Vehicles. River corridors tend to be used as trails for off-highway vehicles and motorcyclists. These uses usually conflict with nearby residents' desire for quiet enjoyment of the area. It is very difficult to manage these conflicting values. S. Balancing Wildlife and Human Needs. Wildlife in an urban environment is generally considered to be an important amenity for the community, but problems can occur. Pets are lost to predators, pedestrians can be attacked by j avelina, and snakebites can occur. Striking an appropriate balance can be very complex. T. Balancing Trail Uses. Motorized and non-motorized trail uses are generally incompatible, and some non-motorized uses (bicycles and equestrian, for example) are often incompatible with each other. U. Child and Neighborhood Safety. Urban `wild' areas have to be somewhat tamed to address safety concerns for children and neighborhoods. Design of trails and water features, as well • as forested or `bosque' features, must take public safety into consideration. V. Firearms. As with off-highway vehicles, unregulated illegal use of firearms can be a problem in river bottom areas and open space, creating noise, safety concerns and property damage. W. Homeless Camps.. Because of the availability of undeveloped, vegetated areas that provide both shade .and a degree of privacy, homeless people tend to establish camps along streams and washes. The upstream portion of the study area has a number of these camps, some of them apparently permanently occupied. Because homelessness. correlates to a significant extent with substance abuse and mental illness, presence of homeless camps raises issues of availability of social services and ensuring public safety. 10 • OPPORTUNITIES Optimal future development of the river corridor will require the thoughtful balancing of complex and sometimes conflicting goals, guided firmly by the vision laid out by Marana's Mayor and Council in the Marana General Plan. Core themes that must be woven into river corridor decisions include (1) ensuring a prosperous economic future for Marana; (2) enhancing the quality of life for current and future Marana residents; (3) building a strong sense of community; (4) embracing the future while celebrating Marana's natural and human heritage; and (5) developing the river corridor as a unifying and connecting element both physically and socioeconomically. TAG identified and examined a broad range of opportunities along the Santa Cruz River corridor. The opportunities generally fall within two maj or categories, and are discussed in that context in this section of the report. These general categories are (1) Economic Opportunities and (2) Quality of Life Opportunities. Within each category are some. opportunities that primarily serve. to :mitigate problems or respond to constraints (making lemonade if you have a lot of lemons...); but each category also includes opportunities that enhance existing strengths of the community or encourage the development of new strengths. Most of the identified opportunities, however, probably will mix some problem-solving and some strength development. Inmost cases, sufficient planning flexibility exists within the corridor to make realization of the opportunities economically and politically realistic. • Economic Opportunities. 1. Ensuring Viability of Marana Northwest Regional Airport. The Airport Influence and Airport Restriction Zones overlap a significant portion of the. river corridor area (see. Maps 3 and 5). Balancing the needs of the airport, the larger community and affected landowners will be the single most critical factor in ensuring that the airport remains a valued asset to the entire community as its economic importance grows over time. Matrices 2 and 3 of Addendum D identify a number of potentially beneficial land uses, some of them providing significant value- addedwith respect to real property, that are potentially compatible with both airport needs and each other. 2. Property Value Protection and Enhancement. Land owners and homeowners have made large real estate investments in Marana. In so doing, they have relied on the good faith and effective planning of Marana's government to protect the future value of those investments. Significant physical and regulatory constraints affect the potential future uses of large amounts of real property along the river comdor. Some of the most significant constraints. (excavations, landfills, floodplain, pygmy owl critical habitat, airport zones) are identified on Map 5. Matrices 2 and 3 identify a number of potential land uses for properties constrained by these and other factors, and also examine the possible compatibility with adjoining land uses. Although the corridor planning process will not recommend any specific land use(s) for individual properties, this information can help guide property owners and Marana staff in identifying appropriate uses for specific properties when the property owner is ready to do so. • 11 • 3. Multiple Purpose Utility Corridors. In the developing competitive utility marketplace, where multiple utility lines for everything from telecommunications to water supplies are becoming the norm wherever sufficient right-of--way is available, the river comdor planning process offers Marana the opportunity to establish a major future competitive advantage by ensuring the availability of a substantial utility corridor along. the Santa Cruz River. At present, most of the land necessary for such a corridor is undeveloped and potentially available. The current opportunity is to establish a utility corridor right-of--way plan that would establish an uninterrupted corridor of sufficient width and prevent encroachment by incompatible land uses. Properly structured and managed, such a corridor could become a significant revenue source for Marana from telecommunications and other new users. 4. Electricity and Telecommunications Competition. A wide, multi-purpose utility corridor along the Santa Cruz River like that discussed above would provide the opportunity for Marana businesses and .residents to benefit from competition 'in `electricity .supply and telecommunications/data transfer cables. 5. Multiple Water Conveyance Systems. Marana's Santa Cruz River corridor is strategically located with respect to physical water supplies. Its groundwater levels are generally rising, and the Central Arizona Project aqueduct bisects the corridor. Additionally, most of the treated effluent from the major metropolitan wastewater treatment plants is discharged to the river bed and flows through the town. Translating this locational advantage into actual water supply benefits for Marana will require five. separate conveyance systems for various types and • qualities ofwater-agricultural irrigation canals, traditional potable and wastewater systems, a treated effluent conveyance system, and a system for untreated raw .water suitable for potable treatment and use. Comdor planning should accommodate these system needs by providing for adequate rights-of--way and crossing points at linear features. 6. Park and Ride Lots with Bus, Van or Train Shuttle Service. A number of Marana residents work in certain specific locations like Raytheon, downtown Tucson, and the University of Arizona. Currently, these residents mostly commute by automobile,. generally utilizing Interstate 10. Transportation constraints will remain one of the most difficult and expensive problems for Marana for many years to come, with freeway access, railroad crossing and roadway capacity limitations defying easy solutions. .Creation of accessible Park and Ride facilities and shuttle services can help to reduce the number of vehicle trips, congestion and air quality impacts. Further, the existing railroad right-of--way paralleling the river corridor could potentially allow for a rail shuttle service at some future date. Park and Ride lots could also serve double duty as parking lots for weekend and evening activities of affinity group facilities. like those described below. Such lots can also be compatiblewithmajorconstraints like airport zones, floodplain and subsurface archaeological sites. 7. Commuter Flights to Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport and Other Nearby Cities. Although currently limited to general aviation activities, the Marana Northwest Regional Airport, with planned future expansion, could accommodate commuter flights to Phoenix and other cities. Currently, • 12 • any Marana air traveler must either drive to Tucson International or to Phoenix Sky Harbor for a commercial flight. Quality of Life Opportunities. 8. Trail Systems. Eventually, as provided in Marana's Park System Master Plan (as amended), two primary trails should follow the river corridor, providing uninterrupted trail connections for the full length of the corridor. One of these trails should be a developed trail allowing for bicycle and pedestrian use. This developed trail system should connect with other significant developed community trails and bikeways (as specified in the Marana Transportation Plan). along roadways, drainages and the CAP aqueduct, allowing for seamless non-motorized access throughout the community and into adjacent natural areas. The second trail would be the Marana segment of the De Anna National Historic Trail, an unpaved trail suitable for equestrian use that would.. follow and interpret the route of the 1775 De Anna expedition. Whenever, possible, the DeAnza Trail should connect with other equestrian trails that provide connections with nearby public open space and natural areas. Downstream. of Avra Valley Road, the cun:ent corridor conditions will easily accommodate separate trail systems consistent with other comdorplanning goals for the area. The developed community trail can be located on the north side of the river,. where most developed recreational activity will be focused. The more open (imagine an expedition of hundreds of people, wagons and animals moving slowly along the river) De Anza Trail can be located on the south side of • the river, which can also provide wildlife habitat and movement corridors in a generally natural setting delineated by the broad floodplain on the south side of the river.. Upstream of Avra Valley Road, such clear separation of the two trails. may not always be possible to achieve. Current planning for trails in the Continental Ranch area, although placing both the developed trail and De Anna Trail on the southwest side of the river in the overbank area, does allow for sufficient separation to minimize potential equestrian vs.pedestrian/cyclist problems. Such separation may not always be achievable upstream of Cortaro Road, but should remain a stated planning objective. Adequate numbers of trailheads to provide for convenient access to the trail systems should also be a major priority. Parking facilities will be a key element in ensuring both good access to trails and minimal impacts on adjacent developed residential and commercial areas. In particular, equestrian trailheads should provide parking for vehicle-drawn horse trailers, as well as sufficient maneuvering room to allow safe movement for vehicles with trailers. 9. Heritage Facilities. Three key heritage and cultural resource themes emerged during the TAG evaluation of the river corridor existing conditions, constraints and opportunities. The first of these themes focuses on preserving, investigating and interpreting Marana's rich prehistoric archaeological heritage. Marana has a large number of significant archaeological sites from the Hohokam period, including ball courts, a platform mound, irrigation ditches and numerous villages. Recent excavations have also. revealed that Marana probably also has a number of 13 • significant sites along the river comdor from the pre-Hohokam Archaic period. The second heritage theme centers on the early historic period, and one key element in this theme is the De Anna National Historic Trail, along with the two De Anna campsites in the study area. The third. heritage theme focuses on the 20`~ century history of Marana. Key elements for this theme relate to the recent cultural, farming, ranching and equestrian history of the area. The river corridor offers excellent opportunities for. facilities and activities designed to memorialize, celebrate and interpret each of these themes and the rich heritage of Marana. Some significant archaeological sites are already protected under public ownership, awaiting only careful development and thoughtful interpretation. Opportunities also exist to protect other especially. significant archaeological sites that have not yet been developed. Planning for the De Anza Trail has already been .identified as a priority for the community. Maintaining a living connection to Marana's farming and ranching heritage as the community grows will be a complex task that will most likely involve a combination of public and private action, guided by careful planning. River corridor development must occur in a context that allows for and encourages facilities and activities consistent with all three heritage themes. 10. Nature and the Environment. The river corridor will play a critical role in future preservation and enhancement of natural open space, wildlife habitat and wildlife movement corridors. Because of the presence of free-flowing water (treated effluent) and floodplain conditions allowing for periodic scouring and flooding, riparian vegetation has developed along the river without any significant human intervention. This riparian ribbon, together with ponds and small • lakes that have developed in old excavation sites, now provides some excellent habitat for a large number of nesting and migratory bird species, as well as attractive oases and bird- watching opportunities for the human inhabitants of the area. The river corridor also provides a wildlife movement corridor (as well as connections to otherwildlife corridors) for low-flying birds like the pygmy owl and larger mammals like javelina, coyotes and bobcats. Finally, because the area downstream of Avra Valley Road will retain natural floodplain conditions on the south bank, large areas of natural open space can be maintained intact in that area, if the community chooses. Other large areas of natural open space will likely be maintained in the designated pygmy owl critical habitat north of the study area, an area that also has very important archaeological resources. Upstream of Avra V alley Road, natural open space will be more limited, but significant opportunities for enhancing habitat values can still be found, particularly in the overbank areas adjacent to Continental Ranch. Pima CountyFlood Control District, with the cooperation of Marana, is developing a plan to develop a mesquite bosque and wetland habitat approximately 80 acres in extent on the west overbank south of Coachline Road... Other enhancement projects will also undoubtedly be proposed over time, as Tucson and Pima County have jointly agreed to set aside up to LO,000 acre-feet per. year of effluent for use in riparian prof ects.. Habitat enhancement in the airport area will have to be carefully designed to avoid increasing bird strike hazards for aircraft, a goal which can generally be accomplished by avoiding open water areas near the airport that might attract migratory waterfowl. 11. Developed Recreation. The river corridor can accommodate a large number of public facilities . related to developed recreation. Among these facilities are. trails, trailheads, ball .fields, 14 • community and regional parks, archaeological interpretive centers, and bird-watching `blinds'. Developed recreation along the comdor will be a critical component of the matrix of public facilities and private or semi-public affinity group facilities that can give the corridor and community a unique identity and sense of place. Facilities and activities will sometimes be able to share spaces (trails and wildlife corridors, bird-watching and habitat, park and ride lots and weekend rodeos or horse shows, utility comdors and trails, etc.).. High quality trails will connect facilities along and adjacent to the comdor with each other and with residential areas. 12. Coordination with Other Planning Efforts. Both within Marana and with respect to planning activities of other jurisdictions that affect Marana, Marana staff are working hard to coordinate corridor planning with the other efforts. This effort, which has enabled other planning activities to influence the comdor planning effort and the corridor planning effort to influence the other .planning activities, must be continued to ensure balanced outcomes, to encourage efficient use of resources, and to avoid conflicting plans. Among the planning activities that have been. or are currently coordinated with the river corridor planning are: • Northwest. Marana Area Plan Amendment to the Marana General Plan. • Marana Master Transportation Plan. • Marana Northwest Regional Airport Plan. • Continental Ranch River Trail Plan. • Central Arizona Project Aqueduct Trail Plan. • De Anza Trail Plan, and Regional Bicycling and Pedestrian Pians. • • Marana Master Parks and Recreation Plan. • Wastewater 208 Areawide Water Quality Plan. • Marana ESA Section 10 Planning Process. • Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan. • Regional Effluent Planning Partnership. • _ Southern Arizona Regional Water Management Study. • Regional Recharge Plan. • Marana-area Stored Water Recovery Trust. • SAWRSA Settlement Effluent Disposition. • Tres Rios del Norte Plan. • Marana Water Resource Master Plan. • Cortaro Mesquite Bosque Plan. . 13. Affinity Group Facilities. Groups with shared interests (affinity groups) have been identified as a key strategic element in developing Marana as a community with both a high quality of life and acost-efficient municipal government. Because the strategic. value of affinity groups to a community has seldom received significant attention in either the general press or major planning efforts, it may not be a familiar concept to many people. For that reason, the affinity group narrative that follows contains a higher level of detail than the other opportunities discussed in this report. • 15 Affinity groups are voluntary associations of individuals with a .shared interest or interests. • These groups are often formed around a vocational interest or a shared hobby or avocation, around a group's sense of shared identity, or around educationaUcharacter development activities. Some affinity groups become uniquely associated with a community, helping to give definition and substance to the community's identity. In Tucson, for example, an affinity group interested in mineralogy was responsible for the founding and nurturing of the annual Tucson Gem and Mineral Show, generally acknowledged as the finest such show in the world, and a huge economic boon to the community. In the arts, affinity groups operating initially on an amateur, volunteer basis founded the Arizona Theatre Company, the Arizona Opera Company, and the Tucson Symphony, all of which are now professional organizations that enrich the social fabric of the community. Boy and Girl Scouts, 4-H, Tucson Botanical Gardens, the Conquistadores, Native Seeds Search, Los Descendientes del Presidio, El Tour de Tucson, Tucson Audubon Society and other organizations and activities too numerous to mention have all been started and nurtured by affinity groups, and have become extremely important, self:. supporting contributors to the community. No amount of public money can achieve for a community what can be accomplished by the voluntary efforts of committed citizens working: together in affinity groups. Most affinity groups develop almost exclusively on a grass roots basis, gaining `critical mass' as a community grows. For many groups, particularly those that do not generate much noise, have. much associated physical risk, require significant amounts of land, or need uninterrupted geographic connections, a laissez faire approach to affinity group nurturance is not a problem. • Other groups, however, can only function as positive forces in the community if they can actually organize and operate in the community. Some activities discussed above under Constraints (off-highway vehicles and firearms, for example) can become net positives rather than problems if they are conducted in an appropriate, safe, well-regulated environment. Unauthorized target practice, vehicles tearing up natural open space, .and the enforcement burden on police can all be dramatically reduced if such activities can be accommodated in safe facilities with appropriate adjacent land uses. Many such activities are generally perceived as acceptable or even beneficial in the abstract, but most people do not want them right next door, so planning for their space needs must occur before every possible location has incompatible neighboring uses. Other affinity group activities that are beneficial and that most people might not mind even next door can also benefit from effective planning before the group reaches `critical mass' on its own. Such advance planning can be enormously beneficial to property values and developing a sense of community. Anticipation of gardening group (flower, botanical, vegetable, low water use xeriscape, etc.) needs for land, water and access, for example, and active facilitation of the formation of gardening groups, would increase the attractiveness of Marana's neighborhoods. and would be consistent with maintaining links with Marana's farming heritage. Other examples might include ensuring sufficient land, .access and parking .for facilities for 4-H, Scouting, equestrian and rodeo uses. If adequate provision is made and group formation encouraged, people interested in those activities will move to the area, and the affinity groups • will become critical building blocks in Marana's sense of community. 16 The Santa Cruz River corridor offers a number of significant land areas that are heavily • constrained on one or more dimensions. (floodplain, airport influence, archaeology, pygmy owl habitat, etc.), but that are still potentially compatible with a range of affinity group uses. Marana can work with property owners in these constrained areas and with affinity groups to plan for acceptable uses that optimize property values and community benefits. Affinity groups should be encouraged by Marana if they meet three basic criteria. First, they should be formally organized to conduct an activity that is beneficial to the community. Second, the group should beself-supporting (dues, donations, fees, grants) and have workable financial and operational plans. Third, the locations of any proposed land. uses must be consistent with Marana planning guidelines acid compatible with adjacent land uses. Some of the types of affinity group facilities and activities that might be appropriate for portions of the river corridor are listed in Addendum D. While not all of these affinity groups will ultimately be located within the river corridor, identification of appropriate sites for their activities within or near Marana will make an important contribution to the quality of life and... safety for all Marana residents Thus, Marana has a clear interest in facilitating group formation and assisting with identifying appropriate locations, either within or outside the river corridor. Among the more significant affinity group facilities identified by TAG as worthy. of further consideration within portions of the river corridor are the following: • Multi-purpose equestrian center, including riding and show arenas, a roping/rodeo arena, a • racetrack, trailhead access, adequate parking for vehicles and trailers, and possibly boarding stables. • Mountain bicycle, velodrome race track and bicycle moto-cross center, with parking, trailhead and bikeway access, and a variety of tracks and challenges for bicycle riders. • Automotive racing facilities for a variety of vehicle types, with adequate parking for vehicles and trailers. • Motorized off-road vehicle park, including tracks for ATVs, dune buggies. and motorcycles, a motocross race course, and adequate parking. • Community gardens with themes ranging from individual vegetable/herb plots. to rose gardens to botanical gardens to educational facilities for FFA, 4-H and Scouting groups. • Shooting range capable of accommodating rifle practice, archery, .skeet and handgun practice in a safe, well-monitored environment without conflicting adjacent land uses. • Archaeological interpretive sites managed, monitored and: interpreted by an archaeology affinity group, thereby reducing demands on municipal resources. • Bird-watching and wildlife habitat areas managed, monitored and maintained by affinity groups, thereby reducing demands on municipal resources. • 17 • SUMMARY OF TAG FINDINGS The Technical Advisory Group identified the following key planning objectives and elements for consideration by the Marana Community Task Force in preparing the final River Corridor Plan recommendations for public review and Mayor and Council consideration: A. Continuity of Linear Features. Immediate steps should be taken to ensure. adequate future land availability for key linear elements that cannot effectively function without geographic continuity. These elements include utility corridors, the De Anza Trail, developed trails for pedestrian and bicycle use, and wildlife movement corridors. connecting areas of permanently protected open space and wildlife habitat. B. Major Public Infrastructure. Major public facilities like the planned .future wastewater treatment plant in the area of Tangerine and I-10, appropriate facilities for landfills, and other similar facilities are critical to the well-being of a community but also tend to arouse `not in my back yard' sentiments. Appropriate future sites for such facilities should be identified as soon as possible, and steps should be taken to plan for compatible. adjacent uses and_to avoid incompatible adjacent uses. C. Multiple Purpose Projects and Economies of Scale. Wherever possible, both for reasons of efficient land use and for economic reasons, multiple purpose projects and projects that provide economies of scale should be encouraged within the river corridor. Achieving this obj ective will • require careful evaluation of initial proposed uses to ensure compatibility with future planned uses. Some compromises of `ideal' single purpose design may be necessary to accommodate shared .land use. D. Early Focus on Area South of Avra Valley Road. Upstream of Avra Valley Road, existing and permitted development and multiple excavation sites significantly constrain planning flexibility. Early planning attention for this area is critical to optimize achievement of critical corridor-related goals in the .areas of utility corridors, transportation, trails, and environment. E. Strategy for Northwest Section of Corridor. Downstream of Avra Valley Road, optimization of corridor uses will be somewhat easier to attain, because fewer constraints already exist.. In general, higher densities of development, together with most developed recreation. and developed trails, should be concentrated on the northeast side of the river in thin area, while wildlife movement corridors, natural open space and undeveloped equestrian trails should be concentrated on the southwest side of the river. F. Compatible Economic Development Around Airport. All development activities around the airport must be compatible with the identified future missions of the airport. Portions of the area around the airport can accommodate industrial. uses. Within the airport influence zone, significant opportunities also exist to accommodate affinity group activities that require large land areas and/or generate significant amounts of noise. Activities that might tend to encourage • the presence of larger birds, particularly migratory waterfowl, should be located outside of the 18 • airport influence zone, as should human activities and land uses that are noise sensitive or might concentrate large numbers of people in higher risk areas in case of aircraft accidents. • G. Affinity Group Facilitation. Marana should actively facilitate formation and operation of affinity groups that meet the criteria specified on page 17 above (formally organized, beneficial activity, self-supporting, activities conducted at appropriate and safe sites). These groups will contribute immeasurably to Marana's emerging sense of community and pride of place, while also. enhancing quality of life and minimizing any requirement for ongoing public funding for policing and for facilities the community would have to provide if affinity groups did not. H. Marana's Heritage. Opportunities to protect, enhance and/or interpret Marana's three key heritage themes (prehistory, De Anza and 20"' century farming/ranching) should be actively sought out. Linking of heritage-related activities to active affinity groups can serve both to provide opportunities for community involvement and to limit the economic demands on municipal resources. I. Open Space.. Open space will be a key element in providing for flood protection;,. wildlife, developed recreation and a general sense ofwell-being. The river comdor is uniquely situated to serve as a key element in the open space system for Marana, while also allowing for multiple compatible uses. J. Environmental Enhancement and Wildlife Habitat. Opportunities for .environmental enhancement and wildlife habitat preservation along the river corridor should be actively pursued. Environmental activities along the river should be integrated into overall planning for parks, .trails, interpretation, Endangered Species Act Section 10 permitting; and any .related outside planning activities. Horticultural and environmental affinity groups; as well as youth- related affinity groups, should be encouraged to take an active role in developing and managing. environmental facilities within parameters established by the town. K. Trail Linkages. The river corridor offers the possibility of linking a vibrant quilt of neighborhoods, schools, developed .recreation, natural.. open spaces and wildlife areas, commercial and retail facilities, and avariety ofaffinity-group activities and sites through anon- motorized circulation system of major river trails (shared use and equestrian) that link with branching regional bikeways and trails along drainages, roadways and wildlife movement corridors. These non-motorized connections should be a key objective of future river corridor planning. L. Cooperation with. Other Jurisdictions. Marana should continue to aggressively work with. other interested jurisdictions and agencies to ensure that their planning activities incorporate and reflect the goals and obj ectives of Marana, and that any activities they undertake are as consistent as possible with Marana's planning for the river corridor area.. 19 • COMMUNITY TASK FORCE RECOMMENDATIONS The Marano Community Task Force developed the following policy and process recommendations as the core of the Santa Cruz River Corridor Plan Amendment to the Marano General Plan. The recommendations are grouped and presented below in three categories: (1) Economic and Infrastructure Policy Recommendations; (2) Environmental and Recreational Policy Recommendations; and (3) Process and Organizational Recommendations. Economic and Infrastructure Policy Recommendations. 1. Major Public and Public Works Facilities. Because maj or public facilities are critical to the future well-being of the Marano community but also tend to arouse `not in my back yard' sentiments, appropriate future sites for such facilities will be identified and acquired as quickly as possible. Locations that are heavily constrained by factors that would still allow for the proposed public use, but that would limit the use of those locations for other purposes, will receive special attention in the site identification process. The land use constraint matrices developed by the River Corridor Technical Advisory Group and attached to this report as Addendum D address these land use compatibility issues. Once the public facility sites are identified, Marano will immediately take all necessary actions to identify and encourage future nearby land uses that are compatible with the proposed public facilities and to discourage future nearby land uses that are incompatible with the proposed public • facilities. Some of the key public facilities identified during the corridor planning process include the planned future wastewater treatment plant in the area of Tangerine Road and Interstate 10, the expanded existing Marano wastewater .treatment plant, landfill facilities, electricity generation or co-generation plants, a future potable water treatment plant and CAP reliability .reservoir north of Tangerine Road near the Central Arizona Project aqueduct, groundwater recharge facilities such as the Siphon Project, parks, school sites, a major events facility for large-scale community activities, and large park-and-ride lots to encourage car pooling and the use of alternative modes of transportation. 2. Major Affinity Group Facilities. Affinity group activities and facilities can serve to improve the overall quality of life for Marano residents and visitors, and can also reduce public safety risks, policing requirements, public funding requirements, and threats to the quiet enjoyment of homes and open space. While the Town of Marano will not generally be involved in the ownership and/or operation of such facilities, some facilities that require a significant land area or have a high nuisance potential can benefit from early site identification by the Town. Appropriate future sites for such activities will be identified as soon as possible, again with a special focus on locations that are constrained by factors that would still allow for the proposed activity. All necessary steps will also be taken to ensure compatible nearby land uses through clustering of .proposed uses with similar characteristics. Some affinity group uses that would likely benefit from early site identification • include an equestrian center, a community amphitheater, automotive: racing and motocross facilities, bicycle racing facilities, off-road vehicle facilities, and shooting ranges. 20 • 3. Utility Corridors. Utility corridors require continuity, adequate access for repair and maintenance, and connections to distribution systems. The corridor planning process has highlighted the need to provide for future competitive opportunities and expansions of traditional. utility services, in addition to the basic utilities (gas, electric, telecommunications and water/wastewater). Marana's future water resource plans, for example, will require separate pipeline or canal systems to convey five different types of water (treated potable, untreated potable, wastewater, treated effluent and irrigation water). The ability to accommodate increasing competition in telecommunications and electricity could provide major future benefits to Marana. Marana should establish and manage amulti-purpose utility corridor approximately 200 feet in width along the entire length of the river corridor. In general, this corridor should be located along the north and east banks of the river. It should also cross-connect with distribution systems to serve areas awayfrom the: river itself and, where appropriate, should align with utility sleeves already built-:into the flood control levee. In general, utilities and utility-related facilities in this corridor should be underground and/or unobtrusive, and the surface of the corridor should. be restored and maintained as an attractive open space with linear trails and access to wildlife habitat and developed recreational areas. Any new overhead transmission lines that may be necessary should be concentrated along Interstate 10. • As soon as possible, Marana will identify a corridor alignment and begin working together with utility companies to develop standards and a protocol for utilization of the comdor. This utilization program must respect the multiple use identity of the corridor. It should also encourage efficient use of corridor space through such techniques as joint trenching, and it must ensure public safety. Additionally, the protocol should establish clear guidelines for utility use of river crossings like bridges and buried conduit. 4. Transportation. The Santa Cruz River corridor presents a complex. mix of transportation challenges and opportunities. To a large extent, the challenges arise out of the basic characteristics ofthe river corridor, which tends to complicate residents' ease of movement between areas of the community bisected by the comdor. In Marana this effect is especially pronounced. in the southeast portion of the river corridor, because of the proximity of Interstate 10 and the Union Pacific Railroad line, both of which closely parallel the river upstream of Avra Valley Road. The barrier effect is further exacerbated by the increasingly heavy traffic crossing, entering or exiting from I-10, the limited number and capacity ofmajor interchanges along the freeway, and the lack of any grade-separated railroad crossings northwest of Orange Grove. Road. Though Orange Grove has agrade-separated railroad crossing, the roadway does not extend across the river to the west. When the freeway is reconstructed in the future, transportation problems will be temporarily worsened for several years during construction. The lack of adequate bridge crossings downstream of Avra Valley Road presents another significant problem. The bridges • at Sanders Road, Marana Road and Trico Road are likely to be seriously compromised during any significant flood event. 21 • Despite these serious problems, however, the river corridor can and should provide some transportation-related benefits. First, locations for park-and-ride lots will be identified and protected, with special attention to sites that are heavily constrained for other uses and that might serve dual purpose as parking facilities for community events in the evenings and on~ weekends. Second, a paved system ofbicycle/pedestrian trails, with cross-connecting trails into all other portions of the community, will be established along the entire river corridor. Third, the less developed De Anza National Historic Trail, designed for equestrian use and with cross- . connections to other equestrian trails, will also be completed along the. entire corridor. Fourth, the potential for the existing railroad spur to the cement plant to provide rail service to the Marana area will be carefully evaluated. Finally, a number of elements of the Marana Master Transportation Plan includeriver-related features like additional interchanges, new bridges and bridge improvements. These elements will be aggressively pursued. 5. Compatible Development Around Marana Northwest Regional Airport. All development activities around the airport will be compatible with the identified. future mission of the airport. Land uses incompatible with the airport activities will be excluded or appropriately limited within the airport influence zone. Transportation improvements identified in the Master Transportation Plan (including the Tangerine/Aura ValleyRoad linkage, extension of rail service to the airport area, and other nearby roadway and bridge improvements) will be actively pursued. While an airport influence zone and restricted approach zones have already • been identified, these zones may not yet fully reflect the. areas requiring special protection, as a review of the airport plan is now underway. Portions of the area will be able to accommodate industrial and commercial uses, and certain public facilities and affinity group facilities that require large land areas and/or generate significant amounts of noise should also be compatible with the airport restrictions. Open space and wildlife movement corridors are also potentially compatible, but activities that might tend to attract larger birds (especially migratory waterfowl) should not be located near the airport. 6. Appropriate Land Uses for Heavily Constrained Areas. Because Marana is committed to preserving and enhancing property values, as well as the general well-being of the community, Marana will work closely with owners. of property in heavily constrained areas to identify economically viable land uses for their properties compatible with the constraints and existing andplannednearbyland uses. Maranawill work together with property owners to develop reclamation and re-use plans for all sand and gravel facilities well before they go out of production. 7. Participation in Mitigation Banking. Marana is working to develop a comprehensive Multiple Species Conservation Plan for the. acquisition of a Section 10 permit pursuant to requirements of the Endangered Species Act. • This plan will include wildlife habitat preservation and enhancement elements that will serve to mitigate potential environmental impacts ofdevelopment-related. activities. Property owners 22 • and businesses that draw upon mitigation benefits in the development of their proj ects will have to participate in funding mitigation `banking' for the acquisition and management of habitat preservation and restoration projects. As part of its planning, Marana will develop protocols and guidelines for mitigation `bank' participation that are clear andunderstandable forproperty owners and the general public. Environmental and Recreational Policy Recommendations. 8. Continuity of Trails and Wildlife Corridors. Marana will take immediate steps to ensure adequate future land availability for key environmental and recreational linear elements that .cannot effectively function without geographic continuity. The most significant of these elements are a developed river trail for pedestrian and bicycle use, the unpaved De Anna National Historic Trail for. equestrian use, cross-connections to other trails that link various parts of the community, and wildlife movement corridors connecting areas of permanently protected open space and wildlife habitat. These linear features should, where feasible, utilize the utility corridor described in the infrastructure recommendations, and the utility corridor design and operation protocols should ensure the greatest possible compatibility with wildlife movement and trail requirements. 9. Trail Linkages. • The river corridor offers the promise of linking a vibrant. quilt of neighborhoods, schools, developed recreation, natural open spaces and wildlife areas, nearby commercial and retail facilities, and avariety ofaffinity-group activities and sites through anon-motorized circulation system of major river trails (shared use and equestrian) that link with branching regional bikeways and trails along the CAP aqueduct, drainages, roadways and wildlife movement corridors. This non-motorized circulatory system will be a key focus of future planning along the river corridor and will require active interjurisdictional coordination and cooperative planning. 10. Concentration of Planning Elements Upstream (South) of Avra Valley Road. South of Avra Valley Road, existing and planned development significantly constrains available land area for environmental and recreational features, as well as for infrastructure-related uses. In this area, effective planning will require significant trade-offs to optimize overall benefits to the community. Critical elements that will require early attention if they are to be successfully accomplished in this area include trail alignments, wildlife corridor linkages, critical habitat protection, habitat enhancement opportunities, visual buffering of industrial facilities and large excavations, greenbelt opportunities, community garden and `boutique' farming opportunities, archaeological preservation and interpretation, and developed recreational opportunities. • 23 • 11. Separation of Developed Recreation and Open Space/Wildlife Corridors Downstream (Northwest) of Avra Valley Road. Northwest of Avra Valley Road along the river corridor, much. greater planning flexibility is possible. In this area, due to the planned future population concentration and availability. of needed infrastructure on the north side of the river, developed recreation will generally be concentrated on the north side, and a linear park with large nodes for developed recreation will parallel the river on the north side of the flood control levee. Identification of appropriate locations for `boutique' farming and community gardens will also be goals of planning for the north side of the river. The south bank of the river within the hundred year floodplain will generally be preserved for wildlife movement, natural open space, habitat enhancement, and equestrian use of the De Anza National Historic Trail. Preservation of legacy farming (maintaining larger tracts of farmland in traditional farming use) .and wildlife habitat restoration will be goals for both sides of the river west of Sanders Road, particularly within floodplain. areas. Use of treated effluent as the water supply for farming; recreation and. wildlife habitat will be encouraged as a long-range community goal.. 12. Marana Heritage and Cultural Themes. Marana will highlight three key heritage and cultural themes as part. of developing a sense of place, community identity and cultural roots. These three themes are Marana's prehistoric heritage (Los Morteros, for example), the historic era (the De Anza National Historic Trail, • Silverbell Road as an historic road, old homestead and stage station sites), and Marana's 20"' century roots in farming, livestock, equestrian and ranching (Yoem Yaqui Pueblo and Marana cotton gin site, for example). Each of these themes is associated with rich cultural elements (Native American, Hispanic, Chinese and Anglo, for example) that will be highlighted as part of the overall heritage program. Opportunities to protect, enhance and/or interpret these three themes will be actively sought ,out, including identifying and protecting key .sites. Encouragement of heritage-related affinity groups will serve to provide opportunities .for productive community involvement, while also limiting economic demands on municipal resources. Interjurisdictional cooperation with entities including Tohono O'odham Nation, Pasqua Yaqui Tribe, Pima County, City of Tucson, and University of Arizona will also be important in effectively developing the heritage themes. 13. Open Space Identification, Conservation and Maintenance. Open space will be a key element for protecting and enhancing wildlife habitat and movement corridors,. providing developed recreational opportunities for the community, avoiding placement of buildings and. other infrastructure within areas. that are prone to flood damage, and ensuring a general. sense ofwell-being for Marana residents and visitors. The river corridor will be actively planned as a key element in Marana's open space system, while also allowing for multiple compatible uses. Open space elements will include natural open space, wildlife habitat • and movement corridors, greenbelts, development buffers and. developed recreational areas. Open spaces will be connected with multi-use and equestrian trail systems and, where 24 appropriate, wildlife movement corridors. Areas. to be maintained as open space will be identified as soon as possible to ensure optimal benefit to Marana residents and visitors. 14. Environmental Mitigation and Enhancement. Opportunities for environmental enhancement and mitigation, as well as wildlife and riparian habitat preservation and enhancement along the river corridor, will be identified and actively pursued, by Marana alone or in partnership with other entities. Environmental activities along the river will be integrated into overall planning. for parks, trails,. interpretation, Endangered Species Act Section 10 permitting, mitigation banking, economic and infrastructure uses, and the many multi jurisdictional planning efforts that affect the river corridor. Horticultural and environmental affinity groups, as well as youth-related affinity groups, will be encouraged to take an active role in preserving, developing and managing environmental .features that fit within overall planning parameters established byMarana directly or in cooperation with other. jurisdictions or agencies. 15. Developed Recreation. The river comdor offers a number of opportunities for providing developed recreational facilities for the community, together with non-motorized trail linkages to supplement vehicular access. In addition to planned and existing parks and other recreational facilities provided by the Town, these recreational opportunities will also include a broad range of other facilities • developed and operated by private industry or community affinity groups. Marana-will work closely with such outside entities to ensure well planned, high quality, .safe facilities that are compatible with community needs. In order to minimize any negative impacts on neighboring lands and to maximize efficient use of shared parking and trail access .facilities, Marana will . encourage clustering these types of uses according to the types and levels of impacts they might have on surrounding properties and according to their compatibility with each other. 16. Air and Water Quality. Marana is fortunate to have good to excellent air quality and water quality. Marana has generally avoided the groundwater contamination and air quality problems that other communities in Arizona have experienced. Marana will monitor air and water quality and, if threats are identified, will take all actions reasonably necessary to mitigate the threats and ensure future air and water quality. Process and Organizational Recommendations. 17. Establish River Corridor Team. Because of the dynamic character of activity relating to the Santa Cruz River corridor, Marana will optimize benefits to the community from opportunities related to river comdor plan • implementation through a process of regular interdepartmental consultation and planning. The Town will provide an ombudsman for the river plan implementation process, with primary 25 • responsibility for interdepartmental cooperation and communication, integrated comdor project planning, facilitation of affinity group .partnerships, and staff support for related interjurisdictional cooperative efforts. Policy-level managers from Public Works, Planning, Parks and Recreation, and Utilities will meet monthly or as needed as a River Corridor Team to review and coordinate activities affecting the river comdor, and to identify and prioritize related value-added opportunities. Within the policy guidelines. established by the Marana Mayor and Council, the River Comdor Team will set goals, prioritize projects, provide for an ongoing public input process, establish implementation plans and timelines, and monitor progress toward objectives. 18. Develop Geographic .Information System as Accessible Planning Resource. Rapid change is a major characteristic of the Santa Cruz River corridor and adjacent areas. within and near the Town of Marana. Effective planning for the area will be accomplished in an environment that provides access to the most current possible information. For this reason, the river corridor planning process has focused on developing Marana's Geographic Information . System (GIS) as the central planning resource and critical analytical tool for the corridor. In order to realize full value from its investment in astate-of--the-art GIS, Marana will also implement the necessary steps to make appropriate information within the GIS easilyavailable to landowners, real estate professionals, business and investment professionals, and interested • members of the general public. To the extent these parties can access information relevant to their land utilization needs and concerns without requiring direct involvement from Marana staff, staff productivity will be greatly enhanced. .For these reasons,. Marana will make GIS information available through website links and through publicly accessible computer terminals at the Development Services Center and other municipal locations. Additionally, in :order to , make the hard copy library of studies and reports relating to the river corridor readily available to .staff, professionals and the interested public, -the library documents will be catalogued,. scanned and made available in electronic format through website links and publicly accessible terminals. 19. Prioritize Projects. Because of the complex,_ rapidly evolving nature of the river corridor, planning and implementation of projects and activities must remain flexible and opportunistic. However, within a flexible overall implementation program, certain urgent priorities identified during. the corridor planning process must receive primary attention in the early phases of implementation if they are to be successfully achieved. These priorities include concurrent focus on: a) Identification and protection of high priority environmental and heritage-related sites. b) Continuity of linear features like trails and trail linkages, utility corridors, transportation elements, and wildlife movement comdors. c) Identification and acquisition of sites for major public. facilities. d) Identification of locations for compatible clusters of higher impact uses. • e) Open space identification and maintenance. 26 • 20. Establish Guidelines, Procedures and Qualification Criteria for Affinity Group Facilitation. Affinity groups are voluntary associations of individuals with a shared interest or interests, and are often formed around a vocational interest or a shared hobby, a sense of shared identity, or around educationaUcharacter development activities for many different age groups. Under appropriate circumstances, affinity groups can be enormously beneficial to a community by enhancing quality of life for residents and sometimes makingeconomic contributions to the community without significant demands on municipal resources. However, same potentially beneficial affinity groups do not reach `critical mass' early enough in the development of a community to be able to acquire the land or facilities they need to operate effectively within that community without creating undue impacts on other residents. Marana will work proactively to consult with affinity groups to understand their future needs, and work together with the groups and property owners (public or private) to identify 'appropriate locations for the: groups' activities. Marana will also establish affinity group facilitation procedures and qualifications for affinity groups with which the Town will work. Not all affinity groups are appropriate for community facilitation services. In general, affinity groups should meet three basic criteria to qualify for facilitation services. First, they should be formally organized to conduct an activity that is beneficial to the community. Second, the group should be self-supporting (dues, donations, • fees, grants) and be financially and operationally stable. Third, the Locations of any proposed land uses must be consistent with Marana planning guidelines and compatible with adjacent land uses. 21. Identify Locations for Clusters of Higher Impact Uses. Marana will work with property owners and users to identify locations and establish development guidelines for clusters of compatible high to medium impact uses. Among the possible areas for such clusters might be portions of the Airport Influence Zone, large abandoned excavation. sites, and areas surrounding current and future landfills and/or wastewater treatment facilities. Clustering of uses will generally conform with the Compatibility Matrices appended to this report. 22. Promote Multiple Use Projects and Economies of Scale. Whenever possible, Marana will encourage multiple use projects that accomplish more than one public objective within the same overall project. Multiple use projects typically utilize the same. land .area and sometimes other project assets for more than one purpose. Multiple use economies (financial savings on project costs) can be very significant. Effective multiple use planning must be incorporated into the earliest stages of planning for a project. Multiple use planning will be a primary goal of the River Corridor Team. • Marana will also work to identify and implement projects that offer substantial economies of scale. Economies of scale occur when cost savings can be achieved by building a larger proj ect. 27 • Significant economies of scale are often achievable with large public works facilities like treatment plants, pipelines and landfills. Marana can achieve such economies of scale from joint projects with other jurisdictions or agencies. -Such interjurisdictional projects typically require a great deal of cooperative planning and a long implementation timeline that allows each partner to coordinate its planning and capital budgeting processes with the other partners. 23. Actively Pursue Outside Grants and Matching Funds. Many Federal, state and private foundation grant and matching fund programs focus on the types of activities and land uses contemplated for the Santa Cruz River corridor. The comprehensive and innovative planning approach undertaken byMarana will generally bewell- regarded by decision-makers for the various funding programs. Acquisition of significant amounts of outside funding will also help to lessen the financial burden. on the resources of Marana and its residents. For these reasons, Marana will actively`seek out and aggressively. pursue appropriate outside funding sources to facilitate proj ect planning and construction, while leveraging the resources of the Town and its public and private partners. C~ 28 • Addendum A Technical Advisory Group Membership • • :7 Addendum A Santa Cruz River Corridor Technical Advisory Group (TAG) Membership List LAST NAME FIRST NAME AFFILIATION EXPERTISE Anderson Hilary The Planning Ctr. NW Marana Plan Amendment Arnold Kathy ASARCO/Silverbell Mines Environmental Issues Blake Jim Town of Marana Town Council Member Condit Robert Water Advistory Representative Water Resources Comelio Priscilla Parsons Brinckerhoff Transportation Danforth Carla Pima County Flood Control Dist. Flood Control DeSpain Brad Town of Marana-Water Dept. Water Issues Dougan Angela Marana Development Services Production Assistance Dougan Roger Town of Marana-Airport. Airport Fonseca Julia Pima Co. Flood Control Distr. Rep Flood Control Francis Myrlene Town of Marana Engineering/Research Gannon Brigid Gannon Consulting Dry Utilities Gorey Tim Central AZ Water Cons. Dist.. Water Resources Hagedorn Steve McGann & Associates Parks Harbour Tom Central AZ Water Cons. Dist. Water Resources Hill Chris Metropolitan Water District Utilities Holler Eric Bureau of Reclamation Water Resources Lawrence Ken Town of Marana Parks & Recreation Lewis Mark Neighborhood Representative Neighborhood Impact Masque - Maria The Planning Center NW Marana Plan Amendment Matson John Arizona State Museum-U of A Archaeology Megdal Sharon MegEcon Consulting Water Resources Moghimi Farhad Town of Marana Public -Works Myers Mark Consultant for Town of Marana : Consultant Neubeck Jack The Planning Center NW Marana_Plan Amendment Novak Karen Novak Environmental, Inc. Environmental Issues Parker Dave Planning & Zoning Commission Planning Payan Rafaet Pima County Parks Parks Peterson Glen Pima County Wastwater Mgmnt. Wastewater Reis Tom Natural Resources Cons. Service Water Resources Reuwsaat Mike Town of Marana Administration Richardson Scott Arizona Game & Fish Wildlife Schaffer Dick Pima Assoc. of Gov. (PAG) Transit Schonfeld Rick Collins/Pins River Trails Shapiro Joel Town of Marana Planning Short Mary Marana Development Services Production Assistance Stitzer Linda Arizona Dept. of Water Resources Water Resources Sweeney Kevin Town of Marana Geographic Info. Systems Tinney Craig Westland Resources, Inc. Economics Ware Ralph Natural Resources Cons. Service Water Resources Williams Dwayne Arizona State Land Dept. State Land Wong .Ron BKW Farms Agriculture ' Zucker Claire Pima Association of Gov. (PAG) Environmental Rev. 8100 i• Addendum B Community Task Force Membership i• i• Addendum B Santa Cruz River Corridor • Task Force Membership List .7 LAST NAME FIRST NAME AFFILIATION EXPERTISE Anderson Steve Pima County Parks Department Parks & Recreation Arnold Kathy ASARCO/Silverbell Mines Environmental Issues Blake Jim Town of Marana Town Council Member Condit Robert Water Advistory Committee Water Resources DeGrood Jim Town of Marana Development Planning DeSpain Brad Town of Marana Water Resources Dougan Roger Town of Marana Airport Fonseca Julia Pima Co. Flood Control Distr. Rep 'Flood Control Foster Ken University of Arizona Air & Land Agricultural. Francis Myrlene Town of Marana EngineeringlResearch Holler Eric Bureau of Reclamation Water Resources Lewis Mark Lewis Management Neighborhood Impact Mack Chris Town of Marana GIS Geographic Info. Systems Maslyn Kelle Marana Chamber of Commerce Business Mayro Linda Pima County Cultural Resources Archaeology Megdal Sharon MegEcon Consulting Water Resources Mensing Janet Marana'Development Services Production Assistance Moghimi . Farhad Town of Marana Public Works Myers Mark Consultant for Town of Marana Consultant Novak Karen Novak Environmental Environmental Issues Parker Dave Planning & Zoning Commission Planning Phillips Ann Tucson Audubon Society Natural Habitat Pitre Alton US Army Corps of Engineers Hydrology/Engineering Reuwsaat Mike Town of Marana Administration Richardson Scott Arizona Game & Fish Wildlife Shapiro Joel Town of Marana Planning Smith Ron Town of`Marana Parks & Recreation Sweeney Kevin Town of Marana Geographic Info. Systems Ward Jennifer Town of Marana Environmental Engineering Wong Ron BKW Farms Agriculture Rev. 6/01 Addendum D Decision Support Matrices • • • ~ _ ~ ~ ~ ~ r ~ ~ ~ = r r ~ ~ r ~ ~ ~ 2 = ~ ~ ~ r ~ ~ T ~ ~ Impact Classification ~ ~ ~ a ~ ~' = ("~ ~ ~ E C) ~rD v ~ D 0 ~ 0 m `~ _ u c c ~ ~ p m °- D o D ° i n ~ ~ c o ~ ~ ~? m ~ ~ ~ c ~ ~ 7 ~~ ~ ~* C7 D m ~ m ~ -n "' -a o -o o ~' a ~ ~ 3 w m ~ 3 ~ c m ~ Ro zJ to 3 n = ~ m a ~ ~ ~ F r c ~ Q. ~ ~ ~ N n s ~ ~ ~ ar ~ o m m n ~ T a- v ~ o o a ~ ^' ~ ~ o °» ~ ~ ~ a m ~1 ra Qo .~ Q C ~b N c m ~ m W .~ ~ ~ ° ci ~ ~: ~ n ~ o z3 '~ iv' D ~ ~ ~ m m w ~ ~ D ~ ~, {t1 n ~ ~ n ~ m (n '~ m m ~: ~ ~ n ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ o co cQ ~ m 3 ~ ~ m a ~ rr A; !v ~ m )C n a n ~ ~ ~ n m n w ~ ~ 'U ~ ' D c~ ~ m v m ~ m ~ rt7 m m _~ ~ m -I ~ 7 m ~ w ~ r `C O 3 N ~ @ ~ O O (p ' fD ~ f0 ~ .'F ~ ~ (D m w ~ (D (p 7C 7~ 7 ~ rt N 07 .fir ~ ~ w ~ w v ~ ~ D ~ _ _ fFl (~ (9 (C N ftl (A N fA f0 F m N !17 N N !h fl `. Multi-purpose lftility ~ N ~ -+ N r N r -> r N N N -•* d r N N N r "8 N •__ ~OrrldOrS N N N O O r O -~ a r 4 O r O r r s r p ~a N r r r N ~~ N Park & Ride Lots ~ -~ s o n -} a r Q 3 0 0 ~ o -~ r ~ o r r o a o ~ o N ~ Industrial Parks = N ~ .~ .s r r N r o N N -~ ~ Q N N N v o a o N N N ~~'~'~~'.~ a ~ ~ Rlver~side Ranchettes ~ N s N N N N N C7 s s -~ -+ N N N N Q O O O N _- N -~ r N Bicycle 1 Pedest. Trails ~ N r r r y -+ N r N N o 1 -a r -~ N N N N O O O O N .. r N O r N Equestrian Trails r N N N N N N N N s N r N N r N N N N -~ O a .I:, - ~. N N N ~ N N Linear Parr ~ N r ,~ ~ o a o o -• o N o D o n o 0 o N N - o o © o o r s- ORU Trails = r o 0 0 0 0 0 o N o ~ o 0 0 o r o 0 o N N ~~- - ~ a o o o a o a hooting Range T s N ~ o 0 0 0 0 o N 0 0 0 0 -.~ o 0 o N ~ N N o 0 0 ~ -a ut0 Racing Center 2 y --~ -Y 0 0 0 0 0 ~ o N o 0 0 o o o n o ,: N N N ~ d o o -~ -~ 1 ORV & MotoX Park = N r r r r r N ~ ~ N n r y N N N r ~.~; o 0 0 o N N N N o 3 N Equestrian Center ~ N N N N rJ O r r N r N '~" N O O O O N N N N r N Community Gardens T N N N N N N 1 -a ~ N N 3 -~ W r N ~ ~F N N O O O O N N N N -L r N Qeveloped Parks ~ Q ...~ r r Q r r r r r N N N k. ' N y N O s r N N N O -~ r r fCtlaeology Parks r N s N Q C7 6 N N O O N N - N s N t Q O O l7 r r r .~ O O s Cemetenes N N r O b y -~' N ..a -~ r - r -~ r r 3 O O O O -+ s r r ~ Golf Caufses ~ N r p o r s N N O O o N ~~~'"~~ -~ N N r r O O O o N r N C7 D r Bird-watching Areas r N O O -+ r r N N O O O _ N r N N ~ r -~ O o O O N r W N C] D -~ Habitat Oases ~ N -~ O O Q L? 4 -~ ~ -- O O 4 i N CS O N N r N Q 4 O r r Model Aircraft Park Z N r r ~ N N r ... .~ ~' ;n, ~ ~ ~ ~ p p s O .-. N N N O O C3 L? N N r -} o -~ N 4-H ! FFA /Scouting Slte ~ ~a _ tia~ r r ole Purpose Recharge ~ N r s r i j a O . „~~;~ y ~ d O N N ..,, r r ~. N r N s _.~, Fadlity Multipurpose Recharge ~ N r r -+. ~ p a SV N ~ ~ ..,, 0 0 o a N r N s o o Farality > p p ~ ~ ~ C! N N 1 N -~ ~ N o 0 0 o N N N N -+ } Falconry Range r N ~ s N N "}: ' r r 1 N 0 -~ -~ o 0 o N N .~ a o 0 o N N ~ o a ~ High Schools = : ~: 1 , N 3 ~ N ``~ ''`~ ' r', . N ~ s r N o ~ v O r N N ~ a o 0 o N s N r o o ~ Elements Schools ry ~ r r '''`" - N N -+ s ~ O r O N ~ Q CJ O .~ N N ~ r N Ska#eboard !BMX Park ~ ~e~`~. N o ~!„~~ s -~ ~ o s o 0 0 ~ N N N -~ r r o r.~ a N irport Inflenee Area = N ~~= O y r O ~ ~ ..~ .~ O r N r r N r ... N o N -+ ~ r N ~ Theme Parks T ~:~ . y~'ti ' N N r N N r N N N N N N N N a N N N r r r N N N N N -x N N gricutural Use = r.3~o ~~Z ~~ o n~ n o ~ '~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ C7" ~~ (D (D -~~~ov ~'~ p?C ~ o ~~ C3 cp0 ~ x . . ~o ~~, ~ ~~ ~ ~D~ ~ o n a ~ ~ o o m ~ ~ n ~ ~ 3 ~ p ~ O ~ ~ N O f!i K N C') ^• ~Ij (D ~ b d O ~ ~ n m ~ H ~ ~ b H v rC YF m • • • LEVEL OF IMPACT ANALYSIS MATRICES High Impac# Land Use N ro r ~ ~~ ~ •+ p ~ N (h nnQ '~ W Industrial Park H H M M H ORV Trail H H H M M Shooting Rang H H L M H Auto Racing Cente H H M H H Theme Park H H M M M Airport Influence Are H H L M M AgricuRural Us M M H H H High School H H L L M ORV ~ MotoX Park H H H H H L =Law Impact M = Medium Impact H =High Impact Medium Impact Land Use ro r N ~ ~ ~~ ~ o ~ ~ m ~ ~ Q ~~ Muni-purpose Utility Corrido L M L M M Park & Ride Lot M M L L M Equestrian Center M H M M M Developed Parks M M L L M Gnlf Courses L M L M M 4-H ! FFA 1 Scouting Site M M M L M Equestrian Trail L ~+! L M M Commun~y Garden L M M M M Elementary Schoo M M L L M Model Aircraft Park H M L M M Skateboard ! BMX Pa M M M L M L =Low Impact M = Medium Impact H =High Impact Law Impact Land Use m ~~ a ~ ,~ ~ ° a ~, ~ N ~ .q m a Archaeology Park L L L L M Bird-watching Area L L L L L Habitat Oase L L L L L River-side Ranchette L L M L M l3icycie ! Pedest. Trail L M L L M Linear pants L M L L M Cemeteries L L L L M Sole-purpose Recharge Facility L L L L M Multipurpose Recharge Facil" L M L L M Falconry Range L M L L L L =Low Impact M = Medium Impact H =High impact ~ H Z ~ H ~ m r ~ N ~ o -~ • ~ I.ANO VSE CONSTRAINT COMPATIBILITY AMTRICES • HlghimpaCt ~ °a ~ ° ~o ~ °o. D~ - ~ roN - D ~`~ ° ~ o n ~ ~N a n 3 Y Qm p a o a D 3 =~ ~ 2C s~v 2C? m o Uses a o °- 'fin ~ m~ m ~ , . ~,.-a ~ m ° ~ ~.- ~ ~ D o , m °- w ~ w gy 3 w ~ ~m ° Ito ~ m ro va ~ ~~ ~ _ g~- ~~w ; a 3 ~ ~~ m 3 ~ ~ ~ m m. a ~ o ~: ~ ~ ~- a - ~ ~ ~ Indusiriai Parks 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 D 0 ORV Trails 1 1 D 1 0 2 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 4 0 0 1 5hoo6ng Rang 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 D 0 0 Auto Rating Cente 1 0 p 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 D 0 0 Theme Parks 0 0 0 0 4 2 1 1 1 1 2 2 1 1 1 1 D 0 0 Airport Impact Zan 1 0 1 2 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 D 0 Agriculhsral Us 1 0 1 2 0 2 1 1 2 2 2 2 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 High Schools 0 0 0 D 0 1 1 1 2 1 2 2 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 ORV & MotoX Park 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 D 0 1 1 0 0 D 0 0 0 = Not Compatible 1 =Maybe 2 =Yes Compatible Mediumlmpact o g ~a ~- m_ ~~ °c o~ ~N, ~0. ~= o~ n. a J z~ m a xc m -o sn m °~ °. a ~n m~ ° °.~ ro° ~.- ~D roa ~ m~ m 3m 1p ~~ - ro .~ "' ° r m ~ m am ~ o-p~ ~. ~ a a i~SeS m ~ ~ ° m T °` ~ ro ~~ m c o.e ~ o ~ m ~ w ~ m .~ ~ m Q+ 3 a ~ ~ ;rtm ° m a ai w w- ~ m ~ .~ O ~ ~ - v - ~ £ y K Muni-purpose Util' 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 1 2 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 Comd4 Park ~ Ride Lots 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 2 D 2 2 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 Equestrian Center 1 0 0 1 p 2 1 2 1 7 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 developed Parks 1 0 1 1 0 2 1 2 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 Golf Courses 1 0 1 1 0 2 1 2 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 4H 1 FFA 1 4 1 1 0 2 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 Swuiin Site Equestrian Trails 2 2 1 1 0 2 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 t 1 1 2 2 Community 1 1 1 Gardens 0 1 1 0 2 1 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 Model Aircraft Park 1 1 1 1 0 2 1 2 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 Skateboard 1 BMx 1 1 1 1 0 2 1 2 D 1 0 4 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 Park Elementary Schools 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 i 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 D 0 0 0 = Nat Compatible 1 =Maybe 2 = Yes Compatible Low Impact °o $ ~' ~ a ~ w, D ~ ° C n n D m D a n 3= O ,~ °- a_ °- ~ 2 A = c x n o Uses °- 'O ~ °- ~ ~n ~ ~ mo ~ o ~ m ~.v v n o m .~ ie ~ m ro ~ Q? ~ ~ D a ~ m a m m a T m ~ m m ~ v m ~ ~m - ~ ~m N a w ° a ~ ° mm ~°. m s~ ~° m ism ~n m a as m ' ` ~ ~ o ~ ° ~ n 4n o o ~ c N 5 s 3 ° w m in ~ ~ m Archaeology Parks 1 0 0 1 0 2 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 2 1 2 1 2 Bird-watching Areas 2 1 1 0 0 2 1 2 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 Habitat oases 2 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 4 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 River-side Ranchettes 1 0 0 1 0 2 1 1 2 0 0 0 D 0 0 1 1 0 1 Bicycle! Pedest. Trails 2 1 1 2 0 2 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 i 2 1 2 Linear Parks 2 1 1 1 0 2 1 2 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 2 Cemeteries 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 Soie Purp°s ' 2 0 1 1 D 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 Recha FaCil Multipurpose Recharg ' 2 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 Facil Falconry Ran 2 1 1 1 0 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 2 0 2 0 = Not Compatible 1 =Maybe 2 = Yes Compatible tl ~ ~ Z ~ ~ ~ ~ Z ~,~-~v W mt~N~ ~~~m • Addendum E Airport Land Use Restrictions (Taken from Airport Master Plan Final Report July 1999) [All references to Avra Valley Airport pertain to Marana Regional Airport] • • • F.A.R PART 77 AIRSPACE PLAN To protect the airspace around the airport and approaches to each runway end from hazards that could affect the safe and efficient operation of aircraft arriving and departing the airport, Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR) Part 77, Objects Affecting Navigable Airspace, have been established for use by local authorities to control the height of objects near the airport. The Part 77 Airspace Plan included in this master plan is a graphic depiction of this regulatory criterion. The Part 77 Airspace Plan is a tool to aid local authorities in determining if proposed development could present a hazard to the airport and obstruct the approach path to a runway end. The following provides a discussion of the recommended FAR Part 77 airspace surfaces. F.A.R. Part 77 Imaginary Surfaces The Part 77 Airspace Plan assigns three- dimensional imaginary areas to each runway. These imaginary surfaces emanate from the runway centerline and are dimensioned according to the visibility minimums associated with the approach to the runway end and size of aircraft to operate on the runway. The Part 77 imaginary surfaces include the primary surface, approach surface, transitional surface, horizontal surface, and conical surface. Part 77 imaginary surfaces are described in the following paragraphs. Primary Surface -The primary surface is an imaginary surface longitudinally centered on the runway. The primary surface extends 200 feet beyond each runway end. The elevation of any point on the primary surface is the same as the elevation along the nearest associated -point on the runway centerline. Under Part 77 regulations, the future primary surface width for Runway 12L-30R is 1,000 feet wide (ARC C-III), and 500 feet in width for Runways 3-21 and 12R-30L (ARC B-II). Approach Surface - An approach surface is also established for each runway end. The approach surface begins at the same width as the primary surface and extends upward and outward from the primary surface end centered along an extended runway centerline. The approach surface for the future approach to Runway 12L at Avra Valley Airport. extends 10,000 feet. from the .end of the primary surface at an upward:-slope of 50 to 1 with an additional 40,000 feet of slope. of 40 to 1 to a width of 16,000 feet. Runway 30R's approach slope extends 10,000 feet from the end of the primary surface at an upward slope of 34 to l to a final width of 3,500 feet. For Runways 3-21 and 12R-30L, .the approach surface extends 5,000 feet from the primary surface at an upward slope of 20 to 1 and terminating at a width of 1,500 feet. Trausitioual Surface -Each runway has a transitional surface that begins at the outside edge of .the primary surface at the same elevation as the runway.. The transitional surface also connects with the approach surfaces of each runway.. The surface rises at a slope seven to one up to a height which is 150 feet above the highest runway elevation.. At that point, the transitional surface is replaced by the horizontal surface. Horizontal Surface -The horizontal surface is established at 150 feet above the highest elevation of the runway surface. Having no slope, the horizontal surface connects .the transitional .and approach surfaces to the conical surface at a distance of 10,000 feet 5-6 • • radially from the end of the primary surface of each end of Runway 12L-30R. The perimeter of the horizontal surface is completed by connecting the 10,000 foot radii arcs at each runway end with lines tangent to those arcs. Conical Surface-The conical surface begins at the outer edge of the horizontal surface. The conical surface then continues for an additional 4,000 feet horizontally at a slope of 20 to 1. Therefore, at 4,000 feet from the horizontal surface, the elevation of the conical surface is 350 feet above the highest airport elevation. APPROACH PROFILES AND RUNWAY PROTECTION ZONES The Approach Profiles and Runway Protec- tion Zones depict that portion of the airspace surrounding Avra Valley Airport which directly relates to each runway end's respective approach surface. Though not as comprehensive as an F.A.R. Part 77 Airspace Plan drawing, these drawings do provide an accurate profile representation of the approach surfaces of each runway end as well as a definitive plan and profile illustration of the respective runway protection zone (RPZ) for each runway end. The Approach Profiles depict physical features such as topography, roadways, railroads, trees, etc. that are within the vicinity of each runway end and which may affect the approach surface. The dimensions and angle (approach slope) of these approach surfaces are a-function of the runway service category and approach classification. Runway Protection Zones, which are shown in both plan and profile on these drawings, are defined as "An area off the runway end to enhance theprotection ofpeople and property on the ground " (FAA Advisory Circular 150/5300-13 Chg. 5). .Like the.. Approach Profiles,. the Runway Protection Zones Plans and Profiles are used to identify physical features which may .affect the approach. surface of each particular runway end. The dimensions and extents of each runway's approach surface were previously described under the section detailing the Part 77 Airspace Plan drawing. Like the approach surfaces, the runway protection zones are based on approach visibility minimums (i.e., one-mile, less than 3/4-mile, etc.), and the aircraft approach .category (A, B, C, D, etc.).. Again, similar to the approach surfaces, the RPZs are trapezoidal in shape and begin 200 feet off each runway end. The ultimate RPZ dimensions for Runway 12L are 1,000 feet (inner width) by 2,500 feet (length) by 1,750 feet (outer width) .while Runway 30R's dimensions are 500 feet (inner width) by 1,700 feet (length) by 1,510 feet (outer width). Runways 3=21 and 12R-30L measure 500 feet (inner width) by 1,000 feet (length) by 700 feet (outer width). All of the ultimate RPZs are to be :.regulated .through future fee acquisition or avigation easement acquirement. ON-AIRPORT LAND USE PLAN The purpose ofthe On-Airport Land Use Plan is to coordinate uses of airport property in manners which are compatible .with the functional design of the airport facility. On- airport land use planning is important for orderly development and efficient. use of available space. 5-7 • • AIRPORT INFLUENCE AREA (AIA) MAP In 1997, the State of Arizona enacted legislation which gives governing bodies and local communities the ability to establish Airport Influence Areas (AIA) to aid in notifying owners and potential purchasers of property that they are in an area that is subject to aircraft noise and overflight. The AIA legislation gives these entities discretion in establishing which property to include in the AIA. Pima County and other local authorities are required to give notice and hold hearings on their respective AIA proposals. Once an AIA is established and after public notice and hearings, the Airport Influence Area is recorded with the County Recorder. To control the encroachment of future development on the Airport, Pima County, as the Airport sponsor, should consider establishing an official AIA for Avra Valley Airport. It is recommended that an AIA for Avra Valley Airport consist of the Part 77 horizontal surface. As shown on the Airport Influence Area (AIA) map, the horizontal surface extends for a radius of 10,000 feet beyond each end of Runway 12L-30R. SUMMARY The Airport Layout Plan Set is designed to assist Pima County in making decisions relative to future development .and growth at Avra Valley Airport. The plan provides for development to satisfy expected airport needs over the next twenty years and beyond. Flexibility will be a key to future development since .activity may not occur exactly as forecast. The plan has considered demands that could be placed upon the Airport even beyond the twenty-year planning. period to ensure that the- facility is capable of accommodating a variety of ..circumstances. The F.A.R. Part 77 Airspace Plan and the Airport Influence Area (AIA) Map should be used as tools to ensure land use compatibility and restriction of the heights of future structures or antennae which could pose a potential hazard to air navigation.. The Airport Layout Plan Set also provides Pima County with options in marketing the assets of the Airport for community development. Following the general recommendations of the plan, the Airport can maintain its long term viability and continue. to provide aviation services to the region. 5-9 • Addendum F Comment Summaries • • SANTA CRUZ RIVER CORRIDOR PLAN SUMMARY OF PUBLIC COMMENTS Background and Summary. Between August 15 and August 28, 2001, three public workshops were conducted for presentation of the draft Santa CruzRiver Corridor Plan recommendations, together with relevant information about the river corridor itself. The public workshops were advertised via a broadly disseminated press release (July 18, 2001),. posted notices, and a consultant. interview with public radio. The workshop .locations were at Heritage Highlands in Dove Mountain, Sunflower Community Center in Continental Ranch, and the Marana Recreation Center near Town Hall. The workshops at Heritage Highlands and the Marana Recreation Center were lightly. attended, but the workshop at Sunflower attracted fifty participants. In addition to ` a .:.prepared. Powerpoint/Geographic Information System presentation with a subsequent question and answer session, each participant received an informational folder containing background information about the corridor planning process, the full text of the plan recommendations, and a comment sheet with return envelope. A copy of the comment sheet is attached hereto. To date, fifteen of the written comment sheets have been returned. • The general public reaction to the overall plan at the workshops was quite positive. This positive response carried through in the written comments received. Some skepticism was voiced about the potential cost of the plan and whether the political will would exist to actually implement the proposed policies, but even those cautionary notes were presented in the context of a favorable overall review. The comments and preferences: summarized below maybe somewhat skewed demographically by the relatively high proportion of older and retired attendees at the workshops, as well as the heavy representation of Continental Ranch residents vis-a-vis other geographic areas within the community. In particular, though active equestrian and off-highway vehicle constituencies are present within Marana, they may not have been proportionally represented at the workshops. However, the broad positive response to the listed menu of amenities strongly supports the need for such opportunities for residents. Possible River Corridor Amenity Elements. The comment sheet asked .each respondent to indicate how often. he/she would utilize several possible recreational amenities. The possible responses were: `Often', `Sometimes' and `Never'... Virtually all of the respondents gave a response for each amenity option. These responses were as follows: • 1) Overall positive responses. 100% would often or sometimes use pedestrian trails, public parks or ball fields, and wildlife viewing areas. All but one respondent would • often or sometimes use community meeting facilities. Bicycle paths and community gardens were identified by 80% of respondents as amenities they would .often or sometimes use. 2) High level positive responses. More than half of the respondents indicated they would often use pedestrian trails and bicycle trails, with about 1 /3 of the respondents .indicating they would often use community meeting facilities and wildlife viewing areas. Twenty percent of the respondents indicated they would. often use public parks, ball fields and community gardens. 3) High level non-use responses. Approximately 2/3 of respondents indicated they would never use equestrian trails or off-road vehicle areas. No other listed amenity garnered more than a 20% `never' response. 4) Amenities mentioned by respondents that were not included on the printed form. Two respondents listed an archery/shooting range as a preferred option. .One respondent each listed a library, equestrian park, archaeology dig, a lake, classes for. seniors, and a riparian area water impoundment at Continental. Ranch. Public Comments. The following specific written comments about the plan were made by individual respondents: • "The plan appears well thought out-if you are able to implement the various recommendations....Have you_ considered a lake for an old gravel/sand pit?" • "We appreciate the time and research spent in formulating a plan for the future while integrating the past." • "Excellent presentation-would it be possible to impound water along Continental Ranch area to enhance a possible riparian area?" • "Good presentation, ambitious plan, A good forward looking approach to a large variety of subjects and concerns. As a senior I hope to see quick results for a long term plan." • "It was informative and well organized. GIS was utilized nicely. T would have shown the new park and explained that alittle-especially. the library." • "I am happy that you had a meeting at Sunflower. Great! This is the first time I've learned anything about it, so I must learn more before I comment. I do appreciate all the work and foresight being taken! I.hope that solar power will be utilized everywhere, even though the initial cost may tempt some to advise against it....I'm looking forward to the opportunity to do an archaeological `dig'." • "Looks great, thorough, well thought out. Only concern ishow much will this cost and how high-will taxes go? Concerns re: dealing with the degree of air pollution emanating from the various quarries and concrete plants." • "Well presented." • "Excellent. Can't think of anything except perhaps better bicycle and pedestrian, crossings of I-10." • "I'm very impressed; the archaeological site idea in the Cortaro District Park is • fantastic; I'm glad equestrian and wildlife, safety and behavioral issues are being • addressed. Also, connecting trails. Add an equestrian park where 4-H'ers could have shows and therapeutic riding lessons could be held-give Scottsdale -some competition! Add/increase use of gray water." • "Very comprehensive and a big benefit to the community. Utilities should all be underground." • "Good plan. However, does our community have the political courage and integrity to follow it?" • "Very, very good presentation." • • SANTA CRUZ RIVER CORRIDOR PLAN SUMMARY OF COMMENTS FROM JURISDICTIONS AND ORGANIZATIONS Background. During August; 2001, while public workshops were being held to introduce the draft Santa Cruz River Corridor Plan to the general public and to solicit public input, copies of the draft plan were also distributed to multiple governmental junsdictiflns, agencies and utilities. Comments were solicited with a due date of September 17, 2001. Between the mailing date and September 24, comments were received from the following entities: Arizona Department of Agriculture, Continental Ranch Community Association, Pima Association of Governments, Pima County Wastewater Management Department, and Tucson Electric Power Company. None of these. comments, which are summarized below, suggested any substantive changes to the: draft plan. Additionally, comments were received from both the Tohono O'odham Nation and the Arizona Department of Water Resources. These comments were more substantive than the comments received from the other entities, so copies of the comment letters are included in addition to the summary below. Comment Summary. • 1) Arizona Department of Agriculture. The comments from ADA focused exclusively on the potential impact of any future corridor-related projects on protected native plants. The cover letter briefly described the regulations dealing with impacts on native plants, and listings of protected plants that might be found along the river corridor were included. 2) Continental Ranch Community Association. The letter from CRCA voiced concerns over the potential impacts on the privacy of ContinentalRanch residents of public trails systems along the west bank of the Santa Cruz River. CRCA voiced its willingness to facilitate the presentation of `the various plans' at Association meetings over the next few months. 3) Pima Association of Governments. The PAG comments were drafted by the PAG representative who had served on the river corridor Technical Advisory Group.. She stated that `the findings of TAG were well represented in the report.' A number of editorial suggestions were also made to improve the clarity of the report. Some of these comments have already been addressed in the draft report, and others may be included when the study report is fmalized. 4) Pima County Wastewater Management Department. PCWWM provided several specific terminology and wording suggestions that have been incorporated into the draft report. 5) Tucson Electric Power Company. The TEP comments included specific information on • planned TEP improvements within the study area. This information will be incorporated into the Town of Marana Geographic Information System. In addition, while the TEP • comments affirmed the general recommendation that any major overhead .power transmission lines be concentrated along the I-10right-of--way rather than the river corridor itself, they also sounded a cautionary note about the substantially higher cost of underground lines when compared with overhead lines. In general TEP must plan its facilities in response to developing demand for electric power, so increases in demand will be a primary driving factor in the location, type and capacity of future facilities. 6) Arizona Department of Water Resources. The comments from the Arizona Department of Water Resources focused on the following concerns: A. The plan envisions some potential future water-intensive land uses, including boutique farms, community gardens and riparian habitat. ADWR would like to see a greater focus on `water efficient gardening using. desert adapted crops' and pursuit of Marana's `opportunity to promote efficient irrigation. and water conservation information to the public' . B. ADWR notes that, although the plan establishes a goal of using treated effluent for farming recreation and wildlife habitat, Marana does not currently control much effluent. ADWR also notes that cost, water quality and health issues may constrain the use of effluent for some purposes. G ADWR also points out that `creation of riparian habitats that end up supporting threatened or endangered species will require along-term, secure commitment of water' . • D. ADWR suggests incorporating more information involving recognition of future competition for water supplies. 7) Tohono O'odham Nation. The comments from,the Tohono O'odham Nation (the Nation) relate specifically to cultural resources and archaeological considerations. The most .important themes are as follows: A. The Nation proposes developing an active `government to government' consultation process and partnership between the Nation and Marana regarding management of traditional cultural sites and archaeological resources within Marana. The Santa Cruz River Corridor is recognized by the Federal-govemment as part of the `.traditional-use lands' of the Nation. B. The Nation voiced concern that the Nation and Pascua Yaqui Tribe-were not included on the Technical Advisory Group and Community Task Force,. and stated that no notice was received of the three community workshops. G The Nation has specific concern about Map #2 showing Hohokam archaeological sites. D. The Nation prefers that archaeological sites be undisturbed, but wants to be consulted on any surveys, excavations or interpretive exhibits that are planned, with specific reference to the possible new interpretive center and Old Pueblo Archaeology activity at the new district park. • TOHONO O'ODHAM NATION CULTURAL AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT P.O. BOX 837 SELLS, AZ 85634 Telephone (520) 383-3622 Fax (520) 383-337 09-18-01P03~12 RCVD September 6, 2001 Farhad Maghimi Director of Public Works Town of Marana Development Center Engineering Department 3696 W orange Grove Road Tucson, AZ 85741 Dear M~ Moghim Thank you for the opportunity to review and comment on the "Santa Cruz River Corridor Plan." The Cultural Affairs Office of the Tohono O'odham Nation approves the lengthy planning process that the Town o f Marana has and will put into this plan to address a wide range of planting issues relating to growth and preservation. The following comments are offered: 1. APPROVES OF MARANA'S EFFORT TO ADDRESS ISSUES OF CULTURAL SITE PRESERVATION AND PROTECTION THAT IS OF IMPORTANCE TO THE TOHONO O'ODHAM NATION 2. It is unfortunate that representatives from the Tohono O'odham Nation and the Pascua Yaqui Tribe were not included on the :technical Advisory Group and the i4lazana Community Task Force during their planning efforts. It is hoped that this oversight can be changed and this and. other large land planning projects and representation from the Tohono O'odham Nation and the Pasqua Yaqui Tribe can be appointed. 3. No notice was sent to the Tohono O'odham Nation about the three community workshops. 4. Concerned about the Archaeology map No. 2 which. shone significant azchaeologicat sites from the Hohokam period. This is confidential information protected by state and. federal law and should not be made available in drafr copies of the Santa Cruz River Corridor Plan. Distribution of there data regarding the location of archaeological sites should be restricted. 5. As the draft report states the Santa Cruz River Corridor is extremely rich in prehistoric archaeological sites. This area is included in the "Traditional-use lands" of the Tohono O'odham Nation as recognized by the Federal Land Claims Commission Report of 1968 and is recognized under state and federal burial repatriation laws as a significant area for the Tohono O'odham Nation. 6. Many sites are this azea may represent traditional cultural places, sacred sites or other types of religion sites. 7. These cultural resource sites and traditional cultural places need to be preserved and protected. • 8. It is important that the Tohono O'odham Nation be included in an active government-to- government relationship with the Town of Mazana regazding planning for cultural sites _ 2 _ September 6, 2001 • 9. The Pascua Yaqui Tribe has significant cultural sites is the -area and should be contacted for their concerns. 10. It has come to the attention of the Tohono O'odham Nation that the Town of Marana is teaming with the Old Pueblo Archaeology Center to develop a cultural heritage exhibit and multi-pear education program in the new regional park that Mazana is developing just west of the Santa Cruz River along Silverbell Road between Ina and Cortaro Road. The heritage program will focus on the prehistoric Yuma wash Hohokam archaeological site. The Tohono O'odham Nation should be consulted for review and comment on any survey ox excavation being planned for this site as well as interpretive exhibits. The Tohono O'odham Nation prefers that these archaeological sites such as Yuma Wash be preserved and protected and not disturbed. These large Hohokam habitation sites axe regarded as significant traditional cultural places and sacred sites that contain the remains of ancestors and should not be disturbed. 11. It is important that the Tohono O'odham Nation become an active partner with the Town of Marana in efforts to protect and preserve important cultural sites and Natural resources. Sincerely, ~ ~~~ i ~~ Peter L. Steere Manager, Cultural Affairs • • ARIZONA DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES Tucson Active Management Area Office 400 West Congress Street Suite #518 Tucson, Arizona 85701 Telephone 520-770-3800 Fax 520-628-6759 09-18-01P03:11 RCVD September 14, 2001 Farhad Moghimi Town of Marana Development Center Engineering Department 3696 W. Orange Grove Rd. Tucson, AZ 85741 Dear Farhad, JANE DEE HULL Governor JOSEPH C. SMITH Director Thank you for the opportunity to review the draft Santa. Cruz River Corridor Plan. We have the following brief comments and suggestions. There are concerns that the plan envisions some water-intensive types of land use. Riparian restoration projects are mentioned, including boutique farms, community gardens and a PCFCD and Marana plan to • create a mesquite bosque and wetland. The report does mention the goal of using treated effluent for farming, recreation and wildlife habitat, however Marana and PCFCD do not control much effluent at this time and the cost of reclaimed water from Tucson's system would likely be prohibitively expensive for most uses. In addition, health issues may constrain use of effluent for certain recreational purposes. Creation of riparian habitats that end up supporting threatened or endangered species will require a long- term, secure commitment of water. Recognition of future competition for water. supplies and potential upstream. activities (such as effluent or stormwater diversions and well drilling) is needed. References to community gardens mention themes like roses and vegetables, but not water efficient gardening using desert adapted crops. Marana has an opportunity to promote efficient irrigation and water. conservation information to the public that should not be overlooked. `f he draft plan mentions that water resources area "critical strategic concern for the town". Please contact us if we can be of any assistance regarding water resource or management issues or concerns that you may have. Sincerely, 5~~ Linda S. Stitzer Area Director, Tucson AMA • • SANTA CRUZ RIVER CORRIDOR PLAN SUMMARY OF INPUT FROM PRIVATE SECTOR FOCUS GROUPS Background. During the week of October 23, 2001, three private sector focus groups were held to solicit input from large-scale private property interests along the corridor. Separate focus groups were held for sand and gravel operators, farmers and development-related interests. Invitations were sent in early October to all known possible interested parties in each group. Each meeting was attended by four to six individuals. Most of the sand and gravel operators were represented, while the farm and development meetings were not as comprehensively attended. In addition to a discussion of the corridor planning process and recommendations, each group was invited to give input regarding. ideas on the implementation of the comdor plan recommendations. - All three focus groups were generally supportive of the corridor plan and the opportunity-focused tone of the recommendations. Representatives of all three groups indicated an interest in involvement in initial implementation steps, with an early emphasis on the development of the land use clusters called for in the recommendations. All three groups were also supportive of efforts to make the Geographic Information System generally accessible to the interested public through • kiosks and the intereet. The farming group was supportive of recommendations that. will assist in maintaining the viability of farming in the future. No substantive concerns about the plan or its recommendations were voiced in the development or sand and gravel focus groups. Several of the attending fanners, however, were concerned about flood control issues, particularly downstream of the levee terminus at Sanders Road. -They are not convinced that their problems will not be worsened by a funneling .effect as flood water is constrained upstream and moved more quickly downstream.. Specific concerns were voiced about the impact of the expansion of the Luckett Road wastewater treatment facility and the effect flood control measures at-that facility might have on neighboring property owners. The farmers want to see a continued strong focus by Marana on extending flood protection downstream •