The Oro Valley Town Council is expected to meet Oct. 7 to discuss the possible annexation and rezoning of 888 acres of Arizona State Trust Land north and south of Tangerine Road between Thorndale and Shannon roads.
The site and others in the area have been under consideration for development since 2005. The vision for Tangerine 888, as this particular plan is known, is primarily single-family residential but contains significant multifamily and commercial components as well.
According to materials provided to Council in preparation for the meeting, “This item is presented for discussion and possible action to provide staff direction regarding the potential annexation and future zoning for the 888 acres of State Land known as Tangerine 888. Staff respectfully seek direction from Town Council on whether to continue negotiating with state land and putting together the code required studies and necessary information to establish a new Planned Area Development (PAD) for the property to be presented at public hearings at a later date.”
The section north of Tangerine Road, referred to as Tangerine North, is made up of 304.2 acres. The conceptual site plan shows eight development areas totaling 628 homes with lot sizes of 35’x80’ (123 total lots), 50’x120’ (456 total lots) and 80’x125’ (49 total lots). The site is a reversed and inverted L-shape starting at the SEC of Thorndale and Moore roads, running east on Moore to Shannon Road and then south to Tangerine.
The four development areas along Moore are all made up of lots sized 50’x120’, with the exception of the easternmost lot, which has a mix of 50’x120’ and 80’x120’ allocations. The next section moving southward has 50’x120’ lots, followed by two sections with a mix of 50’x120’ and 80’x120’. The southernmost lot is made up of lots sized 35’x80’.
Open spaces of varying compositions separate the different development areas.
The 539.7-acre Tangerine South component features nine development areas. Tangerine South is primarily a square shape with a small square section omitted at the SEC. The single-family component totals 382 35’x80’, 551 50’x120’ and 15 80’x125’ lots.
The two components are functionally connected by flexible use options in three development areas at the NWC of Tangerine South. One component is envisioned as a commercial area with five buildings ranging in size from approximately 4.5KSF to 100.7KSF. The two areas connecting to the section at the NWC of Tangerine and Thorndale are shown featuring single-family, multifamily, commercial and/or employment uses. The multifamily concept shows 192 units.
Designated open space creates three distinct diagonal sections in Tangerine South, with the mixed component to the northwest, a central single-family section and a separate single-family section to the southeast.
The 35’x80’ lots in both Tangerine North and Tangerine South are designated as single-family attached. All other lot sizes are for freestanding homes.
A Long Development History and Process
A timeline submitted among the various documents and exhibits shows Tangerine South was added to Oro Valley’s planning area boundary in 2005 as part of the Focus 2020 General Plan. It was then designated as a Master Planned Community in 2016 under a General Plan update.
Tangerine North was added to the planning area boundary as a Master Planned Community in 2017.
Throughout 2018 and into early 2019, the Town pursued annexation through the State Selection Board and Pima County, while also working to set the land up for transfer with the Arizona State Land Department. ASLD put the project on hold in 2019.
A group calling itself Take Back Oro Valley and some other residents opposed the original annexation plan. According to the group website, “Objections included: 1) destruction of pristine desert land for 3200+ dwelling units adjacent to large lot homes 2) Density 3) Buffer yards 4) CAP water as only source for water with the additional cost of it to be spread throughout OV 5) Developers’ campaign donations and cozy relationship with Oro Valley Town Council 6) wildlife 7) Lack of fiscal analysis 8) traffic 9) flooding/drainage issues.”
Following a change in the Town Council makeup, the incoming Council held new study sessions, and ASLD paused the discussions in 2019. The Council then adopted an annexation strategy focused on annexing Tangerine 888 in 2020. Following a change in how ASLD examines prospective State Land sites for auction, a Town delegation began new meetings with ASLD and State officials in 2025.
From 2025-Sept. 2026, Town staff worked on revised concepts and other background research.
Staff is now asking for input and direction to define the process of working with ASLD and identifying potential process costs and responsibilities. They also want to solidify the use matrix for the two sections, establish the most conservative water model and determine if the water supply is sufficient to meet the build-out needs.
Other needs include determining the potential commercial viability, establishing the potential Town revenue income and cost outlays, and considering to what degree developing the area will benefit Oro Valley.
Future action items will include multiple neighborhood meetings and public hearings before ASLD would put the property up for auction. No firm dates have been established for those components.
If and when the site goes to auction and is annexed and rezoned, development would then follow the standard platting, development plan approval and permitting processes before any construction could begin.
