A 45-acre development for cyclists in Saguaro National Park East received the green light from the Pima County Board of Supervisors Tuesday morning.
The Bike Ranch development, which is the brainchild of Tucson-based developers Kelley Matthews and her husband, Peter Lasher, was approved by a 3-2 margin. Supervisors Steve Christy, Ally Miller and Ramón Valadez voted for the granting of a mixed use permit.
The property is slated to be built within the buffer zone of Saguaro National Park-East on Old Spanish Trail, near Escalante Road.
Tuesday’s decision, which came after comments from roughly two dozen audience members, follows approval from Saguaro National Park and the county’s hearing administrator.
The opinions of the supervisors and audience members on the development, which was previously proposed and subsequently postponed before coming to a vote in 2014, were varied.
Both Supervisors Sharon Bronson and Richard Elías spoke out against the proposal, with the latter taking great exception to the development.
“In many ways, I like the idea,” he said. “I like all the specifics about it, but that doesn’t cut it. So, it’s about location and the location is problematic and there’s nothing that you can do to fix that.”
Christy said the proposed minor resort, which includes 49 casita-style rooms, a 34-foot-tall “bike barn,” a 79-space parking lot, pool, outdoor seating and a restaurant and café, will serve the county well in the long run.
“I feel that this whole project has met the checkboxes of the rules, and the rules have been governed by regulations and refereed by officials,” Christy said. “They’ve met all the criteria and answered all the questions. It meets the badge and the image that Pima County is trying to maintain as a bicycle mecca. This is a project that I believe in and that I feel is good for Pima County.”
This article appears in Jun 27 – Jul 3, 2019.
Great decision PC Sups. The cottages will be available for multi purpose uses such as hiking and bird watching.
“I like all the specifics about it, but that doesn’t cut it. So, its about location and the location is problematic and there’s nothing that you can do to fix that.” Supervisor Elias .
I agree. What’s the point of a buffer zone if you ignore the reason the buffer is there?
Nobody is going to go hiking or bird-watching in a place where there is an omnipresent possibility of being menaced by maniac mountain bikers. Many studies show that mountain biking is incompatible with wildlife and wildlife recreation, period.
So fine, have your little mountain bike paradise (though I agree with Elias that it’s in a terrible location), but please don’t pretend that it’s useful for anything else. Among other negative impacts, this project will definitely increase road kill on the roads at the margins of the park as well as within the bike ranch itself. Check all the little boxes you want, but the truth is that the increased traffic will kill a lot of wildlife.
In the end, it’s just one more scar on the desert, one more threat to our vanishing wildlife, to serve the narrow interests of a few.
Come on skinnyman don’t be so negative. Not all mountain bikers are maniacs. Much like the fact that not all environmentalists are not terrorists.
Curious where it references a mountain bike paradise or even any development of trails? The site is across the street from Saguaro National Park East, where the only trail open to MTB use is Cactus Forest which is only 2.5 miles long and rarely ridden. Other than that you have the AZT at Loma Alta and Pistol Hill, which while open to mountain bikes is also multi-use and popular with hikers and runners. From the coverage Ive seen, this project will primarily cater to road cyclists. @skinnyman- maybe check your bias and fist shaking at the door?
I do not have enough information personally one way or another to have a strong option. What I do object to is the scheduling of a vote on a holiday week on an issue that has strong local resident views. This is a disservice to the community which the board of supervisors is meant to be working for. Something of this importance to the local residents should NEVER be determined around a holiday when they know turn out will be light. Maybe the county officials much like our city leadership wonders why they have to answer peoples questions.
Can someone from the board please comment on the suspicious timing? And you wonder why there is a growing distrust by the general population in our elected (and appointed) officials in County Government.
For those of you that think you can show up at a Board meeting and change the mind of a PC Sup the day of the vote,…please grow up and think that through. Everyone has preconceived ideas and plans that are based on numerous amounts of input, but to have a taxpayer stand at the podium and whine…nio,no,no will probably create a yes vote. Timing meant nothing. And for those that cared maybe they should have stayed in town for the vote. The Sups did.