The Oro Valley Town Council returned after a monthlong break for a regular meeting Jan. 5 and voted to leave access into San Jose Plaza as it stands.
The council voted 6-0 - Councilman Barry Gillaspie was absent - to do nothing to the current traffic configuration on North Oracle Road near San Jose Plaza, which is north of the Hilton Tucson El Conquistador Golf & Tennis Resort.
Business owners in the shopping center asked the town to look into building a southbound left-turn lane on North Oracle Road to provide access to the plaza's northern driveway.
Southbound motorists on Oracle who want to access San Jose Plaza have to drive past the businesses, then make a U-turn at El Conquistador Way.
Businesses within the plaza include The Loop Taste of Chicago, Down Home Delights, the Holiday Inn Express Hotel and Suites, an Allstate Insurance Company, Nail Trix and other shops.
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The council directed Oro Valley's town engineer in July 2009 to study whether a southbound left-turn lane into the plaza was feasible.
The study was reviewed by the Arizona Department of Transportation, which maintains the road, and Oro Valley's engineering staff.
ADOT would only agree to the southbound left-turn lane if an existing northbound left-turn lane at Greenock Drive was removed.
Town engineer Craig Civalier reminded the council that ADOT was the ultimate decision-maker on the matter so it was his recommendation to leave access into the plaza as it exists.
Area residents strongly opposed removing the left-turn lane at Greenock Drive.
Two area residents spoke against any change to the current configuration at the Jan. 5 meeting.
Councilwoman Mary Snider said she had no interest in interrupting the left-turn lane at Greenock Drive.
"ADOT, frankly, has tied our hands," she said.
Another solution reviewed by ADOT was to put a signal at the intersection of Oracle Road and Greenock Drive, but the signal would not meet ADOT's spacing standards for signals.
Mark Rusin, who owns The Loop Taste of Chicago, urged the council to study the issue further.
Rusin, who called himself the unofficial spokesman for the plaza, said a southbound left-turn lane is important to the success of the businesses in the plaza.
Contact reporter Andrea Rivera at arivera@azstarnet.com or 807-8430.
