Check out the new bungalows going up on E 18th St. between S 5th Ave. and S Arizona Ave.!
Author: emailduffy
A 48′ Building for Armory Park!
Coming soon to an historic neighborhood near you! A 48′ building! Here’s the Zoning Examiner’s Preliminary Report recommending approval of the proposal to pull the property at 747 S 6th Ave. out of the Armory Park Historic Preservation Zone to permit the property’s owner to build a 48′ building.
“Women Who Whiskey” Event
APNA Board Meeting Tuesday, May 8!
Don’t forget! The APNA Board will hold its monthly meeting Tuesday, May 8, at 7 PM, in St. Andrew’s Parish Hall. All are welcome!
In addition to updates on various APNA projects, we will also hear the latest about the proposal to rezone 747 S. 6th Ave. The property owner has asked to remove it from the Historic Preservation Zone to build a 48′ building.
Read on for the full agenda:
Will the City Shrink Our Historic District?
REMINDER: The City is about to decide whether to rezone the property at 747 S 6th Ave and remove it from the Historic Preservation Zone (HPZ), in order to to permit the property owner to build a 48′ building on the site. If approved, this would be the first time a property has been removed from the Armory Park HPZ in its history. The City says this won’t set a precedent, but…
People interested in Armory Park’s future should consider attending the zoning hearing. The hearing is Thursday, May 3, at 6:00 PM in Mayor and Council Chambers at City Hall.
Porch Party May 5!
Our spring Porch Party is May 5th from 6-8:00 pm. It will be at DeeDee & Michael’s house at 520 S. 4th Ave. So, bring your favorite pot luck dish and BYOB. We will supply paper goods, glasses, ice and water. Hope to see you on the porch!
Baffert Headlines APNA Agenda
The most important subject for the meeting was the Baffert Project at 6th Avenue and 18th Street. Both APNA and APHZAB (historic board) have sent letters to the zoning examiner for entry into the record of the hearing to happen at the Mayor & Council 
chambers Thursday (12 April) at 6:00 PM. Both boards will also make presentation of their concerns at the hearing. Neither board is pleased with the proposed building height of 48 feet, much taller than any structure nearby. However, the most important issue is retaining the property in the historic zone so that the APHZAB will have some voice in how the project proceeds and to avoid a new precedent which could destroy our Historic Preservation Zone and others. The board asked for maximum resident attendance at the hearing to show that the community was very concerned about developments. There was consensus that if this rezoning is approved, there will be a succession of such actions going north along 6th Avenue (Wanslee Motors, Philbaum Gallery, Roy’s Market and more). Imagine what 6th Avenue will look like lined with buildings 48 feet tall or taller. The most public face of Armory Park will be disfigured and the western part isolated from the rest.
April Board Agenda
Your APNA board will conduct its regular meeting Tuesday. The meeting is likely to have some vigorous discussion, especially regarding the proposed Baffert development at 18th Street and 6th Avenue. The meeting agenda follows:
Continue reading “April Board Agenda”
Downtown Tucsonan
Discussions in APNA and Historic Board meetings often cover things that are occurring in the downtown area. The Downtown Tucson Partnership has a feature on their website that may keep us better informed. Their Downtown Tucsonan page, reached at the NEWS tab (or https://www.downtowntucson.org/news/), will give you articles of interest. If you want a month by month reports covering announcements, construction, housing and more, go to: (https://www.downtowntucson.org/2017/10/downtown-pulse/).
Keeping up with the action downtown can facilitate those activities that attracted many of us to Armory Park. On the other hand you may learn of causes for concern regarding neighborhood and historic preservation. It’s a changing world out there; STAY INFORMED.
Help for Homeless Neighbors
As downtown residents, most of us are familiar with the Downtown Tucson Partnership (DTP). Their mission statement is: To be the catalyst for making Downtown Tucson the place people want to live, work, and play; where new ideas happen; and that is the economic development and cultural epicenter of the region. The ability to attract businesses and customers is an essential component.
One part of this effort is to minimize unpleasant experiences for downtown visitors. Unfortunately our large homeless population is often part of unpleasant experiences. DTP has taken a number of steps to discourage homeless people from making downtown public areas their home. One example is cleaning pavements in areas where people congregate overnight. The use of machinery and water spray makes the areas uncomfortable places to sleep.
Armory Park Neighborhood Association 