Dove Mountain-View From Upper Javelina Trail (3/5/23)
Tortolita Alliance (TA) attended a presentation by Marana Town Manager (Terry Rozema), Development Services Director (Jason Angel) and Water Director (Jing Luo) sponsored by the Dove Mountain Civic Association on 3/1/23 at the Highlands. They provided updates on development and water projects throughout Marana but this blog only covers Dove Mountain.
Dove Mountain Development-What's Left?
The Dove Mountain Specific Plan (DMSP) is the original plan approved by Marana in 2000 for the full development of Dove Mountain. DMSP covers 6,207 acres and was originally approved for 9,157 residential lots and commercial areas. The DMSP was amended in 2002, 2017 and 2020. Based on currently built homes and projected remaining subdivisions/lots, it appears final build-out will about +/- 7,500 lots.
The following presents the current status of Dove Mountain developments gleaned from this meeting and other research. Please refer to the map below and collage of development photos from the Upper Javelina Trail (3/5/23). Place cursor over the photos to see location.
There are five subdivisions currently under construction that total 1,082 lots-548.4 acres:
Saguaro Reserve I, II & III-693 lots-293 acres
Los Saguaros II-106 lots-44.4 acres
Boulder Bridge Pass III-72 lots-39 acres
Boulder Canyon-58 lots-38 acres
Dove Mountain Resort-153 lots-134 acres
There are two proposed subdivisions that have no activity and it is not clear if and/or when these projects will proceed:
Saguaro Forest-61 lots16 acres-[2012 approval for 283 rental apartments]
Tapestry-670 lots-395 acres (infrastructure issues)-[2016 Tapestry Specific Plan]
No Water Service Planned For Tortolita Fan (Tortolita Preserve) Area
TA also thanked Marana Water and Tucson Water for not including the Tortolita Fan area (including the Tortolita Preserve) in their respective planning for future water service areas. Therefore, it is pretty much assured that the land between the developed portion of Dove Mountain and the Central Arizona Project (CAP) canal will remain open space. See Marana Water Service Map below.
Extension of Dove Mountain Boulevard
Terry Rozema indicated the extension of Dove Mountain Boulevard to the west is not a priority project and it will not be considered for another 10-20 years. This proposed project is fraught with issues including; (1) State of Arizona land access, (2) numerous alluvial fan washes, (3) prolific saguaro population and (4) other environmental issues.
Summary
Dove Mountain residents will have to deal with another 2-3 years of housing construction activity and related construction vehicle traffic on Dove Mountain Boulevard. Extension of Dove Mountain Boulevard to the west is unlikely. Future development outside of the current developed portions of the DMSP will apparently be limited and these areas will remain beautiful pristine Sonoran Desert. However, we must remain forever vigilant!