April | 2012 | Urban University Interface.com

Archive for April, 2012

Street Car Construction Schedule

Posted in Modern Street Car on April 29, 2012| Leave a Comment »

UA-Area High-Rise Wins First Court Challenge

Posted in Uncategorized on April 28, 2012| Leave a Comment »

View – UA-area high-rise clears legal hurdle

“That’s not to say the petitioners haven’t been heard by the City Council”, said City Attorney Mike Rankin. “The council wants to engage the neighborhoods affected by the project”. Potential changes to the ordinance could be presented in a public hearing May 8th, 5:30PM @ the Mayor and Council Chambers, 255 W Alameda. Come voice your pro and cons on the design tweaks.

Read Full Post »

Judge Gordon’s Ruling

Posted in Main Gate UOD on April 27, 2012| Leave a Comment »

View a PDF copy of Judge Richard Gordon’s April 27th ruling for the City on their rejection of West University’s petitions to repeal the Main Gate UOD – RULING

An appeal was filed April 30th, 2012 in the Court of Appeals. The case is heading to the Arizona Supreme Court

Read Full Post »

Land Use Code Simplification Project

Posted in Land Use Code on April 24, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Land Use Code Simplification Project | Official Website | City of Tucson.

Read Full Post »

Lay of the Land

Posted in Edges and Overlays on April 24, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Lay of the Land, The city’s rapid-fire downtown-development plans raise a ruckus, by Tim Vanderpool, writer for the Tucson Weekly. Also view Dave Devine’s guest editorial in the Weekly, The City’s Unfair and Illegal Actions are Violating the Constitutional Rights of Tucsonans. Both articles talk about the Main Gate UOD.

Read Full Post »

Tucson Overlays Challenged by City Residents

Posted in Edges and Overlays, Main Gate UOD on April 24, 2012| 1 Comment »

As West University and the City of Tucson fight their first court battle over the validity of petition signatures, planning officials are hearing a quick redo of the northwest corner of the Main Gate Urban Overlay District (UOD) at council chambers on April 25th, 6:30PM. A verdict on West University’s court case is also due on the 25th. View the PDF file of West University’s update by Ford Burkhart: Referendum Court Case

In parallel efforts, the Broadway Coalition is battling the 71 million dollar RTA funded Broadway Corridor. Rincon Heights, Sam Hughes, El Encanto and other neighborhoods impacted by widening have been fighting its costly and destructive impact. View a PDF copy of the Broadway Coalition’s Statement. View also Steve Kozachik’s Press Conference Statement, and attend on April 30th @ 6Pm @ the First Assembly of God Church – Broadway and Campbell. Public Invited. Another RTA funded project; the Grant Road Widening between Oracle and Swan has a UOD component to deal with re-zoning. Jefferson Park is opting out of the UOD because of a lack of the right planning. Others will follow.

A theme with residents is a demand for more than a name on sign-in sheets. They want real input and major neighborhood focus. Maybe Tucson could look at Jaime Lerner, former 12 year mayor of Curitiba who turned the Brazilian City around to become emblematic of real “best practice urban design”. Lerner says 3 driving factors for success is mobility, sustainability and identity; things that Tucson struggles with. Curitiba worked because of the vision and commitment that Lerner was able to give. How does Tucson do this? How does Tucson find a balance with its neighborhoods.

Read Full Post »