SIERRA VISTA HERALD: Weds., March 1, 2006
Panel takes another look at Tribute
By Gentry Braswell
SIERRA VISTA — An unprecedented fifth city Planning and Zoning Commission work session for the proposed Castle and Cooke neighborhood development called Tribute was held Tuesday evening.
“Take your time, do the best you can,” said Councilman Rick Mueller, the council's commission liaison. He commended the commission and developer, on behalf of city staff and council, for extra, ongoing effort.
The next regular Planning and Zoning Commission meeting is 7 p.m. next Tuesday at City Hall. But since two commissioners will be absent at both meetings in March, the Tribute proposal may be tabled until early April.
During these recent commission work sessions, questions regarding commercial buildings' height being enough to block the mountain view, homes pre-plumbed for gray water harnessing and traffic impact have been discussed. Those issues will be kept in mind as the commission makes certain recommendations to the council regarding Tribute.
A spokeswoman for McIntosh & Associates, a firm contracted by Castle and Cooke for the Tribute project, on Tuesday indicated research regarding the impact of taller buildings in the town center section is under way for presentation to the city. Concern regarding tall buildings blocking Sierra Vista's mountain views have repeatedly surfaced.
On Tuesday, commissioner Lillian Seagren brought up questions regarding Tribute and the city's role in accommodating the future economic base and work force of Sierra Vista with appropriate services such as hospital, roads and housing, appropriate green building and conservation measures to compensate growth during a drought, increasing traffic and an already-crowded post office.
She questioned whether the Tribute project would be finished before the implementation of the proposed development-impact fees now under consideration by the council.
“It's already gone to the voters twice,” Castle and Cooke Vice President Rick Coffman said, referring to the 1999 annexation process and the city's Vista 2020 development plan amendment providing for the overall development scheme for the 2,000-acre Tribute development.
Coffman respectfully disagreed with Seagren's feeling that the Tribute proposal's approval process has been rushed.
Commission Chairman Joe Black said the all-encompassing zoning and development scheme proposed by Castle and Cooke for Tribute, as an alternative to the piecemeal “cookie cutter” development approach, can be unique and beneficial.
“And we have to make sure we agree about any deviation,” Black said about such an approach working.
Braswell can be reached at 515-4680 or by e-mail at gentry.braswell@svherald.com .