This week’s Skinny gave the latest update on the legal issues for the Saguaro Ranch development in Marana (more to come in our Jan. 22 issue). But since we can’t include art in Skinny, here’s a picture of the sign posted at the entrance to Pima County property alerting hikers that they are about to go onto Saguaro Ranch property. Hikers we met while driving the loop said they weren’t too happy when they first saw the sign, since they’d been coming up there for more than a decade and knew the history of the property – enough to know they were entering county land. They’ve also been reading the Weekly’s latest coverage on the public access issues and dispute – enough to know they were also within their legal rights to walk the entire loop.
This article appears in Jan 8-14, 2009.
Yesterday, we heard from one Saguaro Ranch neighbor that the recent press surrounding the development’s Website, foreclosure and legal issues may have had a little impact.
Evidently, the sign picture in this post is now down, and the development’s Web site went back up yesterday. The only criticism from the neighbor is that, just like the McClintock’s Web site continues to list that Virginia Wooters is the executive chef and that Joseph Scanlon remains the manager and sommelier (while they have left), on the Saguaro Ranch Web site (http://www.saguaroranch.net/) the development continues to represent itself as if it has a full staff: Vice President and General Manager Jerome Strack – gone; Sales Director Dorothy Pinney – gone; and attorney Joe Traver as in-house counsel – not likely for well over a year.
No one should write anything for the blog at 1:08 a.m. May I add a correction? That’s Joe Tarver, not Joe Traver. Excuse us Joe as we go take a much needed nap.
The unfortunate reality of the demise of Saguaro Ranch is that a much less appealing “vision” may be perpatrated ala adjacent golf course communities. Legal wrangling will provide some temporary respite, however, the real battle may have yet to be fought.
Or worse yet…perpetrated.
Mr. Griffith, Do you still work for Mr. Phinny? I was thinking, perhaps you have something to share about what’s next. But I think it’s good remember that the story about Saguaro Ranch isn’t about development out in the desert – all the neighbors in the area expected that property to be developed – it’s the business practices your current or former employer had in dealing with a public easment, creating a Home Owners Association that left those neighbors out of the process and perhaps using $1 million to buy the city of Marana’s cooperation through development fees. The business of development is business, but when you’re trying to sell yourself as something that’s good for the environment and good for the region, it starts with ethical business practices, not just picking up turtles in the middle of the road. I think that’s what the neighbors are upset about. And I think whoever buys the property for the trust to take over the next leg of development may inherit the same conditions in the conditional use permit provided by Marana, and if they don’t, they sure will inherit the same group of neighbors. Starting on the right foot with those folks, might be the way to go even if you have a golf course in mind.