Marana, Arizona – The Lazy K Bar Ranch Specific Plan is back in the news. A request for recommendation to the Marana Town Council is coming up next week for rezoning for redevelopment of approximately 103 acres of land from RR (Resort and Recreation) to F (Specific Plan) for the purpose of establishing the Lazy K Bar Ranch Specific Plan; and, a request for recommendation for approval of a minor amendment to the Marana General Plan.

Lazy K Bar Ranch began as a homestead in 1928 and was converted to a guest ranch  8 years later.  It reached its peak as a guest ranch in the 1950s and closed to the public in 2007. The property is located at the west terminus of Pima Farms Road, west of Scenic Drive alignment in the northwest submarket of Tucson.

The owners of the Lazy K Ranch, Amy Shiner and Peter Evans, tried to rezone the property for subdivision development in 2014. The project had passed the Planning Commission, but was rejected by the Marana Town Council when it sparked controversy with the neighbors at that time. The council rejected the rezoning by a vote of 5-1, with one member absent in 2014.

The Planning Center’s current proposal seems to have worked through those controversial issues with neighbors and developer.

The owners bought the Lazy K Ranch in 1998, when it was still part of Pima County, with SR zoning that allows for 3.3-acre home sites. In 2004, when Lazy K was annexed into Marana, it was zoned to allow for a number of uses, including residential development and recreational resort for a guest ranch style resort.

Annexation by Marana meant developers wouldn’t have to abide by the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan, as adopted by Pima County in 2001 that limit development in critical biological areas to 80% open space.

TOWN OF MARANA STAFF RECOMMENDATION
The Planning Commission is recommending to the Marana Town Council approval of PCZ1612-001, Lazy K Bar Ranch Specific Plan, and GPA1612-001, General Plan Minor Amendment, based upon the its findings and subject to the following conditions:

• The current plan for 178 single story homes is an environmentally sensitive plan with fewer lots than were included in the original submittal.
• The current plan includes 60% open space.
• Natural Washes and wildlife migration corridors are protected in this plan
• Approval of this rezoning request will facilitate reopening Scenic Drive which should improve traffic movement in the area and significantly reduce local traffic on Moonfire Drive which is a residential neighborhood street.
• This plan has been thoroughly vetted to obtain support of many neighbors as well as the Sonoran Coalition
• Clustered development like what is being proposed is superior to lower density larger lots because it provides a comprehensive solution to protecting the environment and wildlife corridors.
• The developer is committed to retaining some component of the original lodge and patio in order to recall the history of Lazy K.
• The developer is committed to preserving natural washes, wildlife corridors, and significant vegetation and is including a 150′ unzoned buffer around the perimeter of the property to assure that those areas will never be developed.
• Marana has a growth mindset when it comes to projects that are well thought out and in keeping with the town’s desire to protect the natural resources of the Sonoran Desert.  The Lazy K proposal fits into that category.

ADDITIONAL PROJECT INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND HERE

Next Meeting for MARANA TOWN COUNCIL WILL BE HELD:
TUESDAY, MAY 16, 2017
7:00 pm

MARANA MUNICIPAL COMPLEX
11555 WEST CIVIC CENTER DRIVE
MARANA, AZ, 85653

SIGN UP TO SPEAK HERE

Kelly and John Abbott and their company, ABIT Property Holdings LLC, purchased the Stardance Event Center on the Lazy K Ranch for $1.46 million ($139 PSF) where they had leased for three years operating it for weddings and special events. The 10,537-square-foot indoor and outdoor wedding venue in five buildings sold with 28.69 acres of land at 8110 N Scenic Drive in Marana.

The Historic Lazy K Ranch has been in the news quite a bit lately, as the owners of the 138-acre property, a former dude ranch, were trying to rezone the property into a 178-unit subdivision. The project had passed the Planning Commission in August but was rejected last week by the Marana Town Council. The proposal sparked controversy even among supporters of the proposal.

The owners of the Lazy K Ranch, Amy Shiner and Peter Evans, bought the Stardance property with the Lazy K Ranch in 1998, when it was still part of Pima County, and with SR zoning that allows for 3.3 acre home sites. In 2004, when Lazy K was annexed into Marana, it was zoned to allow for a number of uses, including residential with 3.3 acre density and recreational resort for a large resort.

Annexation by Marana meant developers wouldn’t have to abide by the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan, as adopted by Pima County in 2001. The City of Tucson and Oro Valley also adopted parts of the plan that limit development in critical biological areas to 80% open space.

But one unit for every 3.3 acres is not “economically viable” for the owners, so a zoning change was necessary. Developer, Mattamy Homes, was willing to take on the project if Marana Town Council had approved the zoning change to specific plan.

The Abbotts supported the rezoning, however weren’t directly affected one way or the other for the Stardance. They had operated the Stardance for three years for weddings and corporate events so it already felt like home when finalizing the purchase from Shiner and Evans. There were no brokers involved in the transaction.

The five buildings of Stardance were built from 1965 to 2002. There’s an enclosed 6,000-square-foot wedding reception pavilion with impressive 40 foot high sliding doors that create an open environment on the east and west sides of the venue. The Sunset Vista outdoor wedding reception and ceremony area with 3,000-square-feet of space and spectacular views of the Tucson Mountains and Sombrero Peak to the west and the Catalina Terrace with 5,000-square-feet of outdoor patio space and beautiful views of Tucson city lights framed against the Catalina Mountain Range to the east.

Located south of the special events pavilion is 15,000-square-foot Sombrero Peak, complete with landscaped bonfire areas.

The Stardance Event Center accommodates from 100 up to 500 guests.