Nancy Nemitz
The Red Mountain Ranch practice range is “. . . just a tiny, insignificant piece of land,” said Divot Partners’ attorney Reese Anderson at the recent Board of Adjustment Public Hearing.
I think this was one of the two times the chairman of the board had to gavel to quiet the uproar of the homeowners. I think Reese quickly got the message that the practice range/open space is not insignificant to the homeowners in Red Mountain Ranch.
The April 12 Board of Adjustment Public Hearing was called to “ . . . consider an appeal of a Zoning Administrator interpretation regarding the method of processing a request to develop a single residence subdivision in the location of the driving range for the Red Mountain Ranch Golf Course. The Zoning Administrator’s interpretation is that the request must be processed as a major modification to the Red Mountain Ranch Development Master Plan’s overlay zoning district, as it is considered a significant change that requires the modification or removal of a condition of the zoning. The applicant (Divot Partners) is appealing this interpretation.”
The Red Mountain Ranch homeowners who packed the hearing room were challenged to wade through the legal jargon of city ordinances, master plans, modifications, procedures and processes. I don’t think the board or opposing counsel realized how well informed and prepared the homeowners were because they did their level best to keep quiet when facts were misrepresented.
After formal arguments by attorneys for Divot Partners and the Zoning Administrator, public comments were allowed. Red Mountain Ranch Owners Association president, Shane Wikfors, came to the podium to inform the board that the owners association voted in support of the City of Mesa’s interpretation. Dave Knorr, representing more than 2,000 petitioners and 1,678 property owners, powerfully illustrated, with pictures, maps and graphs, the impact replacing the practice range with homes would have on the community. Dave also cited Divot Partners’ own website, which showcases the golf course and practice range in its marketing of Red Mountain Ranch.
After two and a half hours of presentations and rebuttals, the six members of the board (one absent) went into public executive session to consider the matter and vote. The vote was unanimous to uphold the City of Mesa’s Zoning Administrator’s interpretation. In plain English, it was the outcome the homeowners worked so hard to achieve. The fight isn’t over, but this vote is a positive step in the right direction.
No one’s effort to make his voice heard is insignificant, and the driving range is not a tiny, insignificant piece of land.
Nancy Nemitz welcomes your comments at nancy@createthespace.com. She owns Create the Space Professional Organizing. Normally, she writes an article about organizing work and living spaces for Up Close.