Matt Wood, VCA President
Center Pointe Neighborhood
March 2024 Message From The Board of Directors – Matt Wood
Annual Membership Meeting
The Annual Membership Meeting of the Vistoso Community Association (VCA) will be held Thursday, March 28th, beginning at 6:00 PM. The Annual Meeting will be a hybrid meeting available via Zoom Meeting platform or by RSVP in advance at the Community Association Office at 1171 E Rancho Vistoso Blvd., Suite 103, Tucson, AZ 85755 (Mountain View Plaza). An RSVP does not guarantee an in-person seat. Due to occupancy restrictions, a limited number of members are permitted.
Your Vote is Important
The Board respectfully asks all members to make their voices heard and vote. Ballots have been both emailed and sent via US Postal Service. Please look for your ballots and return them promptly. According to the VCA Governing Documents, we must meet the membership quorum requirements to hold this election. Failure to meet the quorum required shall result in another meeting, which would accrue additional costs to do so. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the voting process or the Annual VCA Meeting, please contact the Vistoso Community Association at 520-354-2729.
Proposed The Gateway at Vistoso Preserve
The 132-apartment Gateway at Vistoso Preserve complex proposed on the former Vistoso Golf parking area is a hot topic with many of our members. The primary concerns involve the high density (living units per acre) and the impact of the added traffic along Vistoso Highlands Drive. The zoning authority for this project is with the Town of Oro Valley. Members may raise their concerns at the March 20th Town Council Meeting. The Council members are the final arbiters of the proposal.
The VCA Board discussed these issues with our legal counsel to be certain of our obligations, responsibilities, and authority in this matter. We must follow the CC&R’s and the design guidelines. The VCA Architectural and Landscape Review Committee (ALRC) has met with the owner’s design team several times. Significant changes have been made to the elevation and landscaping plans to comply with the VCA guidelines.
The ALRC recommended approval of the revised elevation and landscape plans for the Gateway at Vistoso Preserve with the stipulation that lighting plans, marquee design, covered parking designs and any other design element pending ALRC review shall be submitted before any work commences, and all permits and approvals shall be obtained from the Town of Oro Valley. The Board approved the ALRC design recommendation at the February 29th meeting.
Rancho Vistoso Street Lights
The VCA Board voted to shut off street lights along Rancho Vistoso Blvd (RVB) on, or about, March 18th 2024. This will not affect street lights owned by the Town of Oro Valley at intersections with traffic signals nor the lights in Sun City Oro Valley. The Town of Oro Valley has requested two of our lights adjacent to the Honey Bee Canyon Park trail head remain in operation. Staff has already contracted for this work. Some of the lighting for monuments along RVB are powered from the street light circuits and staff will be contracting for that work as well.
Staff and the Board have been diligent about researching the lighting question for over a year. We have worked with the Town planners and the Oro Valley Police regarding potential safety concerns. We have investigated the potential cost to replace the existing lights and wiring compared to turning off the lights and removing the poles. We have reached out to our Sub Association Presidents for input and received around 120 email responses overwhelmingly in favor of removing the lights (only 2 members have asked us to repair the lights). In addition, removing these street lights will make RVB consistent with other major town boulevards, and with the intent of the dark sky efforts.
There is still time to provide us with your thoughts on the streetlights issue. Please send your feedback to us at [email protected] We value your opinion!