According to Scott Egan, Pima County Supervisor Ray Carroll’s aide, there is little chance the Brad Gorman Memorial Trailhead will ever restart construction in its original location.
“At this point I believe it is very doubtful that the residents will support this project at this site. There are many local objections to this site from the neighbors, and not only because of the poor notification, but specifics to the site itself,” Egan said in an email to TucsonVelo.com.
Pima County Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator Matt Zoll said Wednesday that he believed all the legal requirements had been met to proceed with the construction at the site near Catalina Highway and Camino Miramonte. But Egan said there was a claim that the construction violated the deed restrictions of the land, but because of the homeowners’ complaints, the project was canceled prior to review of that claim.
According to Egan’s email the homeowners had a long list of complaints about the trailhead. Chief among them was that the homeowners say they were promised nothing would be built on the land when they purchased their homes.
Other complaints include; “negative effect on their property values, the effect of any additional lighting on the neighborhood atmosphere, the attraction of non-rider groups to the site (to party), fear of criminal activity and vandalism of parked cars, increased costs to the sheriff department to deal with problems at the site, too much activity in the day and night and noise disturbance, safety concerns for riders wanting to turn when vehicles are traveling at 50 mph plus, questions over who will maintain cleanliness, deal with graffiti, etc. concerns over the local wildlife and destruction of a native environment, how drainage will be affected (as the site is in the flood plain), where all the people who use the site will urinate, and other issues.”
At Wednesday’s Bicycle Advisory Committee meeting, Zoll said they most of the homeowners’ concerns had not been a problem at an of the county’s other trailheads.
Egan said the their office was not involved in much of the planning process and didn’t know why there wasn’t a public meeting scheduled.
“I can’t answer why Pima County staff and administration did not discuss this project with the affected neighbors. They certainly should have. Our office was left out of much of the planning process as well. (I have included an attachment of a memo on the project — you will note District 4 was not copied). We do plan to have a public discussion of possible future options for a similar facility, and will call for an open public meeting once staff has completed their study of these options,” Egan wrote.
Stay tuned to TucsonVelo.com for more updates on this story.
It is truly mind boggling how well Tucson hides its jewels from the world. Elite cyclists from around the world know about Mt. Lemmon. But that represents very few people. That course should be a national destination for cyclists of all levels all year long.
A major entry-way with adequate parking and restroom facilities would only enhance that. Mt. Lemmon for cyclists should be and could be more of a draw for more people than our famous golf courses such as the Gallery or many resorts. It’s already getting there (with no promotion, facilities, or help from the city or county). I’m friends with two couples from Denver who came to Tucson last November to ride El Tour and bike up the Lemmon. They loved both their experiences. They also loved the Arizona Inn where they stayed for four nights and the restaurants they ate at and the shops they visited.
Given that neighbors shouldn’t have been blind-sided, I hope those who have the authority to do so, will go back to the drawing board, resurrect this worthy project, and create something that people from all over the world will know about and enjoy.
— Jay Rochlin
It is truly mind boggling how well Tucson hides its jewels from the world. Elite cyclists from around the world know about Mt. Lemmon. But that represents very few people. That course should be a national destination for cyclists of all levels all year long.
A major entry-way with adequate parking and restroom facilities would only enhance that. Mt. Lemmon for cyclists should be and could be more of a draw for more people than our famous golf courses such as the Gallery or many resorts. It’s already getting there (with no promotion, facilities, or help from the city or county). I’m friends with two couples from Denver who came to Tucson last November to ride El Tour and bike up the Lemmon. They loved both their experiences. They also loved the Arizona Inn where they stayed for four nights and the restaurants they ate at and the shops they visited.
Given that neighbors shouldn’t have been blind-sided, I hope those who have the authority to do so, will go back to the drawing board, resurrect this worthy project, and create something that people from all over the world will know about and enjoy.
— Jay Rochlin
I live very close to the about-to-happen 4th Avenue Bicycle Boulevard. Being a longtime bicyclist, I am very much in favor of this project. And so are my neighbors, some of whom are also bicyclists.
Unlike this Mt. Lemmon project, our local government has gone out of its way to inform us, the neighbors, about what will happen. We’ve been quite pleased with both the quantity and quality of the communication.
I live very close to the about-to-happen 4th Avenue Bicycle Boulevard. Being a longtime bicyclist, I am very much in favor of this project. And so are my neighbors, some of whom are also bicyclists.
Unlike this Mt. Lemmon project, our local government has gone out of its way to inform us, the neighbors, about what will happen. We’ve been quite pleased with both the quantity and quality of the communication.