In July 2020, the Town of Oro Valley announced the postponement of neighborhood meetings for Romspen’s proposed General Plan Amendment and Rezoning applications regarding the Vistoso property until the spring of 2021. This will provide additional time for the proposed open space purchase negotiations to continue between Romspen and The Conservation Fund (TCF). See more details HERE.
Our partnership with TCF is a major step forward. We are pleased to report that TCF is now in escrow to purchase the property subject to an executed formal contract that it has with the property owner, Romspen. As part of TCF’s due diligence during the coming months, steps will be taken so that TCF may evaluate the property’s finer details including, but not limited to, the results of a future appraisal report that will establish the fair market value of the property. Ultimately, if TCF is successful with its negotiations with Romspen, TCF intends to use its internal “Revolving Fund” to provide the ready capital for the land acquisition. TCF also is working with the Town of Oro Valley to establish mutually acceptable terms for the property to become part of the Town’s public open space area. TCF will place a conservation easement on the property to ensure that it is preserved as public open space and protected in perpetuity.
While Preserve Vistoso is not a party to the negotiations with Romspen, we support TCF and are focusing on raising funds to replenish TCF’s Revolving Fund that will be deployed to acquire the Vistoso property. While fund-raising efforts began prior to TCF’s involvement, Preserve Vistoso is confident that our community will continue to give and support this important effort to secure the benefits of open space for years to come. The Preserve Vistoso Board of Directors thanks its members for their support and salutes two founding Preserve Vistoso members, Rosa Dailey and Tom Stegman, for initiating contact with TCF.
Preserve Vistoso is offering virtual ZOOM meetings to provide key updates about our progress to protect the Vistoso property so that it will be used as a public nature preserve and community trail. These informative meetings will provide you key details about our fundraising efforts and any outstanding matters that concern the property. We’re ensuring these meetings are held with small groups so that each attendee has adequate time and opportunity to gain insight about the project. To schedule a virtual meeting or obtain further information, please contact Gerald Bren, PV Board of Directors, at [email protected] or call (612) 834-8891. We also offer socially distanced in-person presentations and conference calls with our team. The permanent protection of this property means it will remain public open space forever. For general inquiries or information on ways to give towards the preservation of the Vistoso Property, please contact Kirste Kowalsky, Arizona Field Representative for The Conservation Fund at [email protected]. Additional details are also at https://www.conservationfund.org or PreserveVistoso.org