The Pima County Board of Supervisors rejected a draft of a proposed ordinance drawn up by the county staff over the past two years because it was not strict enough. The board voted unanimously yesterday to send a more stringent version to the Planning and Zoning Commission by May.

The board wants a requirement that matches the city of Tucson's tight guidelines on giant retailers, because they worry that developers and retailers will flee to unincorporated parts of Pima County and create a string of big boxes on the fringe of the county.

Tucson, which lies within Pima County, passed an ordinance in September 1999 that applies to all retail operations with more than 100,000 sf. The ordinance limits the hours of operation and where the stores can be built.

Among the requirements of the Pima County proposal are: a 200-foot buffer between stores and residential neighborhoods; a 200-foot setback from the property lines for storage and trash receptacles, and no trash removal between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m.; no deliveries between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.; landscaping and eight-foot-wide sidewalks between stores and parking lots; limits on the amount of space given to grocery sales; economic impact reviews to gauge the potential effect on local merchants, property tax rates and property tax values; and incentives to encourage development on existing vacant property.

If the proposal makes it through the Planning and Zoning Commission it could be back in front of the board by May for their final vote.

Instant Insights /

Southern County Wants Tighter Controls on Big Box Development

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