By Roland Murphy for AZBEX
Part of the Black Angus Mine site, an open pit aggregate materials mine southeast of Tucson, could see a new future as a commercial and residential hub under a plan currently before the Pima County Planning and Zoning Commission.
Owners Diamond Ventures and Rocking K Development Co. are requesting a comprehensive plan amendment and specific plan rezoning for a 62-acre property west of Valencia Road and Old Spanish Trail. The total Black Angus site is 251 acres and is approximately 95% graded, according to the submittal.
Planned and potential uses include “retail sales, personal services, automotive services and fueling, self-storage, and hopefully a grocery store, most of which are currently unavailable in convenient proximity to thousands of homes in the area.” The submittal says there could also be a residential element that would complement the commercial component.
According to the submitted project overview, “The Property has been mined for many years and is now ready for repurposing to a mix of commercial and residential uses. We propose to amend the current Pima Prospers land use designation from Low-Intensity Urban 0.5 (LIU-0.5) to Planned Development Community (PDC) and rezone the property from Suburban Homestead (SH) to Specific Plan. Being completely bounded by Valencia Road, Rincon Creek, and the Pantano Wash, the Black Angus property is naturally buffered from any nearby homes, the closest of which are hundreds of feet from this proposed amendment area.”
The developers intend to build a “pedestrian friendly commercial center” that will provide new commercial options for residents on Tucson’s southeast side and, potentially, provide additional housing units in the area. The only other businesses currently operating in the immediate area are other aggregate mines.
The overview lists several benefits if the development is approved and built, including: more customers for local businesses; improved pedestrian activity, and a “safe, clean and attractive environment” for businesses and residents.
Focusing on benefits to the immediate existing area, the submittal notes the location’s proximity to several master-planned communities, including Civano/Mesquite Ranch, Rita Ranch and Rocking K Ranch. The developers say the commercial hub would also be a responsible means of adding value to the significant investments made in improving Valencia Road over the last several years by creating more activity. Their analysis finds all nearby roadways would be able to adequately accommodate the volume generated by the new development if roadway improvements are made as the hub expands.
The plan places an emphasis on creating a highly walkable development, in keeping with “smart growth” principles. It will also provide restored open space buffers along the Rincon Creek and Pantano Wash, serving the Tucson area’s focus on preserving open space.
Development Plans
Under the proposal, the site will be divided into two primary areas. The Angus Neighborhood Center would have a primary site of 17.3 acres at the corner of Valencia Road and Old Spanish Trail that would be home to most of the neighborhood-scale commercial uses. There would also be a smaller ANC space along the south edge of Valencia that would accommodate a second tier of operations but with limited intensity due to the smaller parcel size. The total non-residential development would be up to 222KSF, according to the preliminary development plans.
The second space is referred to as the Angus Flex Zone, which may include similar uses to the ANC areas but would also provide the option of building up to 480 multifamily residential units. The preliminary plans show options for what appear to be multi-unit traditional apartments or dozens of smaller offerings in duplex or similarly sized configurations. Pedestrian connectivity to the ANC would be provided if residential development were to take place.
Construction is likely to take place in phases, depending on market conditions and the timing of utility extensions. According to the submittal, “Regardless of the actual order of development of the parcels within the Specific Plan, developers of each parcel will construct infrastructure necessary to service the parcel itself, as well as utility stub-outs between phases to facilitate future development within the Specific Plan.”
A Planning and Zoning Commission hearing is scheduled for Feb. 26.
The project owners are Diamond Ventures (as Black Angus Mine LLC) and Rocking K Development Co. Paradigm Land Design is the land use planner and project representative. The civil engineer is PSOMAS.
