Last night area residents showed up in force at the Planning Commission Hearing regarding the Make Marana 2040 General Plan (GP). Approximately 250 concerned citizens attended and about 50 submitted speaker cards and told their personal stories and opined on growth, open space and the Tortolita Preserve.
The Planning Commission listened! They voted to amend the current draft of the GP and include the Tortolita Preserve on the GP maps in a bold color with a footnote referencing the 99-year lease. A huge victory for the Tortolita Alliance!
The Mayor (Ed Honea) and Town Manager (Jamsheed Mehta) were in attendance and the Town Manager made some interesting and seemingly positive comments about the Tortolita Preserve's future. I will post that portion of the video when available from Marana.
Last night was a perfect example of the quote in my original PowerPoint, "The Government Is Run By Those Who Show Up". You showed up big time and influenced change in a big way.
However, this is just the beginning. We need to be vigilant. More work lies ahead.
We need a similar or even larger turnout at the next GP Public Hearing on December 10, 2019 (6:00 PM) whereby the City Council will consider approving the GP for ultimate ratification by the voters. We want to ensure the Tortolita Preserve stays on the GP maps and make sure the City Council clearly understands the public opinion on growth and open space in Marana. So please put this meeting on your calendar. The Tortolita Alliance will be providing suggested talking points prior to this hearing.
In addition, the Tortolita Alliance will be closely monitoring the Arizona State Lands Department (ASLD) and their re-zoning and Tortolita Preserve reconfiguration proposal. More to come on this in the days and weeks ahead.
Thanks again to those who attended last night and thanks to everyone for your support!