One More Chance to Influence Tucson’s Proposed Climate Plan

Consultants, City staff, stakeholders, and interested Tucsonans spent 2022 developing a draft Climate Action Plan, which has been named “Tucson Resilient Together.” Originally slated for adoption last month, the process has been extended to accommodate an economic analysis and provide more time for public comment.

This gives us more time to make a better plan. I hope you will look it over and take time to comment.

The plan’s final draft will be posted to the city website on January 10th and will include all information and input received to date, plus the preliminary outcomes of the economic analyses. The full economic review -- the Draft Technical Memoranda for the Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis and Cost-Benefit Analysis – will be available  January 20th. The final date for public comment on the Draft Final version of Tucson Resilient Together is February 21st. Mayor and Council are expected to vote on the plan in March.

Information about Tucson Resilient Together is available at the city’s Climate Action Hub: https://climateaction.tucsonaz.gov/ and you can subscribe to the city’s monthly Climate Action Report here

Billboard Review Committee by Marlene Avelino

Longtime Tucson residents may remember, and still cringe at, the damning July 24, 1970 edition of Life Magazine that published a two-page photo of Speedway Boulevard naming it the "Ugliest Street in America." The photo is of Speedway at Country Club with signs and billboards of all sizes vying for attention and buildings with varying setbacks from the road. Although the image looked worse than the real thing due to the use of a telephoto lens, it highlighted the growing concern from the public that the signs were getting out of control.  

In mid December, the Ward 3 office met with the Billboard Review Committee (BRC), and they shared with us this local history lesson. Longtime anti-billboard activist Mark Mayer even brought his copy of that very magazine into the office. He was joined by two other BRC members - Lee Oler, a Ward 3 resident and Sierra Club member, and former Council Member Brent Davis. 

That unflattering moment in the spotlight was the impetus for both the City and the County to begin regulating signage and billboards. While billboards first became popular with the rise of the automobile and subsequent car culture, the anti-billboard movement rose up right behind it. The state of Hawaii was the first to ban all billboards, and it was followed by Vermont, Maine, and Alaska. The main negative effect of roadside advertising is that it distracts drivers; after all, the goal of a roadside sign is to capture our attention. Billboards also take away from the natural beauty of our environment and crowd our sightlines. Plus, there is mounting evidence that prolonged exposure to advertising can negatively affect our mental health by promoting unrealistic standards and constant consumerism. Additionally, billboard structures take up valuable space in our cities, the production of the vinyl used in billboards is harmful to the environment, and billboard vinyl itself is not recyclable.

In 1979, the Tucson City Council passed an ordinance that required specific setbacks, size, height, and lighting for billboards. This ordinance forced some signs to come down, either because they could not be updated to meet the new regulations, or because it wasn't financially worth it to the owners to update them. The ordinance also stipulates that a developer must bring an existing billboard up to current code or remove it as part of the development of a parcel. 

Although the regulations passed in the city and at the county were the toughest in Arizona, billboard companies had friends in the state legislature that swiftly dampened local jurisdiction’s ability to go after illegal signs. In 2004, the Pima County Board of Supervisors assembled the 15 member Billboard Review Committee (BRC) to assist in negotiations for a settlement with Clear Channel, the company into which most billboard companies had been consolidated. Membership of the BRC includes research associates from the Whipple Observatory, U of A Astronomy Department professors, various neighborhood association leaders, Dark Skies advocates, and home builders groups among others. That settlement resulted in Clear Channel removing 55 billboards and Pima County tasking the BRC with reviewing billboard permit applications.

In 2007, the City of Tucson faced settlement negotiations with Clear Channel and also invited the BRC to step in. That settlement resulted in the removal of 111 billboards, and the City, like the County, asking the BRC to review permit applications. The review process is usually a part of a bigger development application, and the BRC provides comments as to whether an existing billboard needs to be brought up to code or if it qualifies for removal. 

Currently Ward 3 currently has 55 billboards, second only to ward 5 with 58 billboards!

Winterhaven Neighborhood by CJ Boyd 

With the Christmas holiday behind us, something like 100,000 people from Tucson and beyond will have recently visited the Winterhaven neighborhood for their annual Festival of Lights. And while the Festival may be the major event that many people associate with the neighborhood, we wanted to share a profile of the neighborhood itself and talk to residents about what they love about Winterhaven year round.

It’s worth noting that, unlike any of the other neighborhoods we have written about in our newsletter, Winterhaven is not an officially designated City of Tucson Neighborhood Association (NA). It is both a Home Owners Association (HOA) and a water company.

Houses and trees along Treat Avenue in the Winterhaven Neighborhood

The main difference between an HOA and an NA is that an HOA is a private association between homeowners, and therefore not organized through City government. A Neighborhood Association, on the other hand, is organized through the City and therefore subject to processes overseen by the City. As an HOA, Winterhaven has established certain requirements for homeowners in the association, like standards of lawn maintenance for example, whereas an NA has no authority to require anything of those who live in its bounds.

As an independent water company, Winterhaven is one of just a few areas inside City limits that do not use Tucson Water. Some of the other larger areas that provide their own water include Flowing Wells, the University of Arizona, and Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.

During non-Festival times, Winterhaven’s lush green lawns are probably their most notable feature. The stark contrast with the desert landscapes throughout most of Tucson give the neighborhood a unique aesthetic.

As Winterhaven HOA Secretary Jennifer Pershing says, “Winterhaven is a nostalgic neighborhood, whether you've lived here for 1 year or 50. It feels like home. The soaring Aleppo pines, sweeping park-like front yards, and shady curved streets invite neighbors to go for a bike ride or walk up Christmas Avenue in any season.” Besides the Holiday Festival of Lights, there are other events that Winterhaven sponsors like the Easter Egg Hunt and Fourth of July Parade.

Another way in which an HOA is different from an NA is that, because the former focuses on homeowners, it does not include the commercial areas on the periphery of the neighborhood. As you can see on the map at the top of this article, Winterhaven is more of a cross shape than a square, whereas other neighborhoods usually extend from one major street to another, and have a rectangular shape. As such, there are businesses like Piezano's Pizza and Murphy's Guns, both near the intersection of Fort Lowell and Country Club, that are not part of Winterhaven, even though they are in the block shared by the HOA.

Winterhaven resident Karen Clifton has lived in the neighborhood for over 30 years. She loves the sense of community. “Neighbors know each other, everyone is out walking, biking and enjoying talking with each other. We have old-fashioned block parties with our neighbors. Neighbors are friends and help each other out.”  

On a final note, Winterhaven HOA President Mike Morales says, “The community has spent the last 75 years taking care of our numerous and very large trees. Many of these trees have grown into one hundred foot giants that have made Winterhaven a place that people enjoy visiting. The trees, bushes and many plants make our neighborhood a place where people walk and bike. We are currently working on a plan to reduce our water consumption but also protect the trees, grass and other vegetation that help make our neighborhood an island with a park-like setting for the whole community to enjoy.”

Next Mayor and Council Meeting 

The next Mayor and Council Meeting is on Wednesday, January 11th.
The agenda is available here: Mayor and Council Meeting Agendas

Ward 3 Neighborhood Association and Coalition Meetings

Alvernon Grant Initiative     
Tuesday, January 10th, 6:00- 7:00 pm 
Emmanuel Baptist Church, 1825 N. Alvernon Way

Richland Heights East     
Wednesday, January 11th, 9:00- 10:00 am 
2000 E. Greenlee Rd. 

El Cortez    
Thursday, January 12th, 6:00- 7:00 pm 
Donna R. Liggins Recreation Center, 2160 N. 6th Ave.

The Ward 3 office is open open at 1510 E. Grant Rd. from 9 am - 1 pm, Monday through Friday. Staff will answer phone messages, emails and requests for meetings by the next business day. Leave your message at 520-791-4711 or email [email protected].

Please note that our office will be closed on the following dates, but staff will be working remotely in the afternoons:     
- Thursday, January 12th, 2023 - Closed for office cleaning
- Friday, January 13th, 2023 - Closed for staff training 

Ward 3 Events

Old Pascua Block Painting Party on Saturday, January 14th

Join the Old Pascua Youth Artists and Living Streets Alliance (LSA) in painting a new asphalt-art mural and revitalizing the crosswalk near Richey Resource Center on 15th Ave. The mural was designed by local artists and led by Brandon Varela as part of the Thrive in the 05 initiative.

Meet at 9am at 15th Ave & Rillito Street, and be sure to wear clothes you don’t mind getting paint on! Morning coffee and lunch will be provided.

Monthly Fort Lowell Corridor Crime + Safety Meetings begin on January 17th

To find out more, click here: https://northdodgena.weebly.com/tpd-flc-meeting.html    
(A printable version of the above flyer is available at the link)  

Tucson CSHW Winter Sock Drive now through January 30th

As part of the Homeless Protocol initiative, the Community Safety, Health and Wellness program has recently increased outreach to our unsheltered neighbors. The weather is only going to get colder, and the number one request from the campers is socks! The CSHW program is reaching out to the community for donations of unused socks in all sizes now through the end of January. Donations can be dropped in the collection box at the Ward 3 office at 1510 E. Grant Rd. 

Grocery Sharing at Tucson Food Share - 2500 N. Stone Ave.

Groceries are shared Mondays and Thursdays from 6pm-8pm and Saturdays from 8am-10am. https://tucsonfoodshare.org/ has more information about volunteering, donating, or requesting delivery. 

Accepting Applications for Housing Programs including Section 8! 

The pre-application period for families and individuals seeking to be placed on a waitlist for public housing, and Section 8 vouchers for the City of Tucson and Pima County will be open from Tuesday, Jan. 3, through Tuesday, Jan. 24. All applications received in this three-week window will be placed in a lottery. Applicants in the lottery will be selected randomly by computer to be placed on the waitlist in the order they were selected. Applications will be available in English, Arabic, Cantonese, Korean, Mandarin, Spanish, Swahili, and Vietnamese. In addition, assistance will be provided in alternative formats. Public sites with computers will be open during the application period. A list of those sites, the online application, and more information are available here

Beware of scams! The City of Tucson is seeing an increase in scams and false links. Do not fill out any application before Jan. 3 or on any site except waitlist.tucsonaz.gov. The City of Tucson will not ask for your social security number, any form of payment (credit card number, cash, bank transfer, etc.), or legal status to apply.

Public Housing Waitlist Video in English here: https://app.frame.io/reviews/64a50619-06b3-49b1-9705-04a96956deb5/49b4a02a-7dc3-40cc-b6ab-85756dc39152 

y video en español aquí: https://app.frame.io/reviews/aa5c81ba-1fd0-459f-8c70-4337cff5f4d3/32dcffb5-7d07-4d19-9f4c-6a45f1f11234 

Se Acceptan Solicitudes para los Programas de Vivienda Incluyendo Sección 8 

Join Your Local Community Garden!

Plots are available at locations across town through the Community Gardens of Tucson. You can rent a 3 ft X 20 ft garden plot with automatic drip irrigation to grow your own food! Garden tools and supplies are provided on-site. Contact [email protected] or call 520-795-8823 for more information.

These Ward 3 gardens currently have available plots: 
- Mansfield Garden - 2000 N. 4th Ave.
- Blue Moon Garden - 1510 N. Oracle Rd
- Keeling Garden - 2919 N. Los Altos
- Homer Davis Garden - 4250 N. Romero Rd.
- Presidio Garden - Near Fort Lowell and Country Club

City Wide Events

Read Tucson Water's Guide to Responsible Desert Dwelling 

Tucson Water packaged its top water-saving tips and resources into a user-friendly online guide that also shares some of the regions unique water history and culture. The Guide to Responsible Desert Dwelling is part of a new public information campaign called "Tucson Water Runs Deep," which celebrates Tucsonans' shared heritage of wise water stewardship and seeks to educate residents on what it means to be a responsible desert dweller. View the online guide here or pick up a paper copy at the Ward 3 office at 1510 E. Grant Rd. 

Which Water Management Strategies are Most Important to You? 

The One Water 2100 master planning process, through public feedback, identified water supply and conservation as the top two areas of concern. Now, Tucson Water needs your help to guide long-range decisions about Tucson's water management practices and its Capital Improvement Program. Follow the One Water 2100 website link below and take the water management strategy survey. Share the survey with friends, family, and neighbors because community input is important to our water future. You can take a quick look at the Our Water Story before taking the survey. This interactive tool provides an overview of what the One Water approach is, information about Tucson’s water resources, and highlights some of the conservation program achievements. The survey will be online through January 31st. Take it and learn more here

Sign Up for Tucson's Climate Action Report!   

You can use this link to subscribe to the Climate Action Report through the City Manager's Office:https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/AZTUCSON/subscriber/new

Home Heating Tips from the Tucson Fire Department 

With cold temperatures upon us, Tucson Fire Department (TFD) Deputy Chief Barrett Baker has some tips on keeping you warm and safe during our cooler months. Watch the video here for safety tips, such as keeping potentially flammable objects at least 3 feet away from a space heater and turning it off when you leave the room or go to sleep, keeping your furnace room clear of anything flammable and having it inspected at least once a year, and making sure the flue is open when using your fireplace and not using too much wood.

Did You Know?

Connect Arizona Affordable Connectivity Program

Tucson Water Discounts

Call 520-791-5443 to make an appointment or visit this site for more information: https://www.tucsonaz.gov/water/low-income-assistance-program