FUTURE HOUSING
COMMENTARY
An example of voices being heard.
In 2016 a "Future Housing Committee" was formed who generated a survey throughout the community on whether we should allow two story additions to homes, enlarge the footprints of houses on their lots and allow two adjacent lots to be joined together. Luckily theses stipulations were voted down by residents. Many voiced their opinions on the repercussions to our community these changes would have caused.
Below is a commentary written by a resident who had lived in the community for over 20 years.
HOA Governing Document
Development Standards
INTRODUCTION
Sun City Oro Valley is a community designed to respect the history, heritage, culture, climate and desert environment of the Sonoran Southwest. The community is situated on the slope of the Tortolita Mountain Range, which affords many spectacular views of both the Tortolita, and Santa Catalina Ranges. To preserve and enhance these concepts, there is a need to establish and maintain certain standards by which the community may grow and develop.
The intent of the Sun City Oro Valley Development Standards is to preserve the desert environment and the Sonoran Desert southwest architectural character of our community and to maintain and enhance community property values.
These Development Standards provide an overall framework and comprehensive set of guidelines to allow the community to develop and progress in an orderly and cohesive manner. They establish criteria for architectural style and design, landscape concepts, site improvements, colors and materials. They also establish a process for judicious review of proposed new developments and changes within the community. These standards also set forth how the standards and guidelines contained herein may be changed and amended to better serve the needs of an evolving community.
Master Declaration 5.2 defines the “architectural control” vested by the Board of Directors in the Architectural Review Committee (ARC). It states in part that, “Other than as originally constructed, no building, Fence, Wall, residence or other structure shall be commenced, erected, maintained, improved, altered, or made without the prior written approval of the Architectural Review Committee.” Each homeowner should read the complete paragraph in the Master Declaration for the full meaning of Architectural Control.
It should also be noted that each unit has its own “Tract Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions” that may impose additional requirements for that specific unit. These Tract Declarations are in addition to the Master Declaration and the Development Standards. It is the homeowner’s responsibility to follow these requirements as well.
These standards have been adopted by the Board of Directors of the Community Association pursuant to the Sun City Oro Valley Master Declaration hereinafter referred to as the Sun City Oro Valley Master Declaration. In case of conflict between the Master Declaration and the Development Standards, the Master Declaration shall prevail.
To the extent that any local government ordinance, building code or regulation requires a more restrictive standard than that found in these Development Standards or the Master Declaration, the local government standards shall prevail. To the extent that the local ordinance is less restrictive than these Design Standards or the Master Declaration of Restrictions, the Development Standards and Master Declaration shall prevail.
An Editorial Response to the Future Housing Committee's Future Housing Survey
The houses in our community were originally designed by Del Webb with the intent to "respect the desert terrain" and "afford spectacular views" of the surrounding land, which at the time was expansive and completely devoid of suburban developmental sprawl. This is described in the introduction page of our Development Standards document.
The properties were designed in phases to function as vacation and retirement homes. They were to be utilized by winter snowbirds or year-rounders who preferred to downsize and live in small or moderately sized houses. Hence, the bulk of the house plans offered by Del Webb were set at an average square footage of 1000 to 1600. They were situated on varying sized lots that blended with the terrain. Boundary designations were laid out to be adhered to for the sake of views by the open-planned concept of the lots. Later on, during the construction phases of the "Mud Huts" and on some streets in the "Flower Pot" sections, Del Webb offered 11 more plans of up to 2600 square feet, so there would be some additional choices for buyers. After that, a section that included mostly only these plans was built on the opposite side of the Rancho Vistoso Blvd., behind the Fire Station. After completion, we had (1046) homes of 1000 to 1500 sq ft, (1120) homes of 1520 to 1950 sq ft and (323) homes of 2000 to 2600 sq ft. for a grand total of (2488) homes.
Some of the suggestions being promoted and presented in the "Future Housing Survey" by "The Future Housing Committee" drastically go beyond Del Webb's original vision and concepts for the community. By allowing current or potential homeowners the ability to build additional square feet to homes, add second stories and infringe upon property allocations that would hinder views, is a direct AFFRONT to the original decrees set forth in the "Declaration of Covenants". Several of the ideas go against the grain and allure of what our community is all about, who it caters to and how it functions.
There are many active adult over 55 and non-age restricted communities with club centers and facilities in the area, new and old that have been designed to specifically meet the kinds of requirements put forth in this survey. Larger or multi-generational homes that exceed 2500 square feet with more than one garage and golf cart garages, with optional two story homes are being built on accommodating lots by developers in newer communities. Saddlebrooke offers houses with larger lots and homes in their newer developments as well as in their existing older community north of Catalina. Del Webb in Dove Mountain is building generous homes to also suit these kinds of needs. We can currently see massive suburban sprawl continually happening around us on Rancho Vistoso Blvd., Moore Road and in areas west and north of us. Does that mean that we have to jump on the bandwagon too? Do we have to jeopardize the charm of our quaint community to meet these sorts of specific demands just to be like the others or to "keep current"? We have something unique here, that needs to be honored, cherished and appreciated for its intrinsic value, not like any of the others.
There may be "baby boomers" who will want to live as "big" as they do now or who will want to have the ability to house their aging parents in their own retirement, but there are many who will desire the opposite too. They are the "baby boomers" who are looking to conserve and down-size, even more so in this day and age of seemingly over-abundance. As earlier stated, Del Webb originally designed this development with that intent in mind, in the mid1980's to 1990's. The notion is still a valid one. If some new buyers or existing owners, who do NOT, by the way, consist of the majority, prefer and require considerable, more expansive properties, then they really ought to look elsewhere to live.
Our unique community consisting of 2488 houses should not be charged with having to adapt, revise or alter its "Residential Development Standards". Those standards had been intentionally set forth by Del Webb in 1985. His aim was for a neighborhood plan that respected the surrounding AZ State Trust open land in which the community resides, while maximizing its expansive mountain views. His master design should not, just to suit the desires of a few residents, be changed now or ever. It's true there have been some moderate revisions made along the way, but none to the degree the"Future Housing Committee" is introducing in their survey. To attempt to satisfy these demands for "bigger and better" is unrealistic for our community. The overall footprint and persona of Del Webb's established master plan would be completely invalidated and detrimentally harmed.
Our goal for the community's lay out, needs to be one of preservation, respect and atonement. Its 30+ year existence as it stands, attests to its success and will continue to do so in the future, with future generations. There is a distinctive charm and appeal to the quality and style of the common area architecture, the developmental plot layouts and the house properties. The way in which the community functions and for whom it functions, after over 30 years, still holds true today. This will continue as time goes on. That will not change.
I hope that our current 'Architectural Review Committee' who does a great job monitoring plans for house additions and alterations in direct alliance to our "Residential Development Standards" will have a voice in any matters relating to its changes. I also hope that they and the board as well as the homeowners seriously consider our existing community architectural development guidelines carefully and intelligently. Adjustments needed for current day times, should only be in keeping with responsible preservation and honorable respect for our community's heritage, its current layouts and scale of development.