Letter: Sad irony

The irony might have been more humorous to me, if it had not been so sad. On May 6, the same night the Oro Valley Town Council congratulated itself on the generous participation of its citizens in the new general plan, OV Path Forward, it ignored that plan and voted for commercial and residential development of the city's most iconic public property. Afterall, that plan had elevated environmental conservation and scenic view preservation as its top priorities. This Pusch Ridge site, known as Rooney Ranch, is among the most stunning locations in Pima County, and has been public open space for many years. Then under the radar and internal to only the Council itself, plans for rezoning, sale, and development went forward. And while rhetorically supporting public consultation, the Council never sought from us any ideas or creative alternatives for Rooney Ranch. A sad irony, since the joke was on us for thinking that we, and OVPath Forward, meant something.