A plan by the Oro Valley Church of the Nazarene to develop an indoor sports complex and an outdoor sports field around its campus at the NEC of Calle Concordia and Calle Buena Vista has encountered fierce resident opposition and is entering its fourth year of arguments and revisions.
While OVCN has approximately doubled in size since 2015, it has been in its current location since 1979, predating nearly all the current area residents. The church has expanded twice since then and bought the 10 acres for the new sports site in 2020. That property is currently zoned for rural residential use.
Opponents say the church’s operations, which typically draw around 3,000 worshippers for Sunday services, are already having a detrimental impact on the neighborhood. They fear the expanded operations would only add to their troubles.
Opponents’ concerns about the sports expansion include additional noise, light pollution and the ever-cited “harm to neighborhood character.”
OVCN started a youth sports program in 2018. In 2020 it advanced plans for a 75KSF sports facility with four basketball courts, an indoor turf field, a stage, a conference room and seven classrooms. The additional outdoor field would be able to accommodate football or soccer games and includes 70-foot-tall light poles for nighttime use.
Church officials say the planned $10M-$12M expansion has been through seven revisions to attempt to quell resident concerns and address issues raised by planning staff.
Opponents still want the plan canceled or put in a different location entirely.
The Oro Valley Planning and Zoning Commission recommended denial of the project rezoning request in February. The matter is expected to go before the Town Council in the fall, after OVCN submits its latest plan revision and updated traffic data.
The staff report in advance of the P&Z vote found several reasons the project was incompatible with the existing neighborhood but still recommended its approval in the face of federal and state law and case precedent.
The church’s attorney has intimated a failure to approve the project would be a violation of OVCN’s religious freedom under the First Amendment and other federal laws that supersede local zoning regulations.
Oro Valley has an ordinance that requires a supermajority vote to approve zoning cases where more than 20% of immediately surrounding property owners have expressed written opposition. Consequently, at least five of the seven members would have to vote in favor for the rezoning to take effect. (Source)
