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.
APNA General Meeting Very Informative
Last night president Anne Cooper led a very informative general meeting of the Armory Park Neighborhood Association. It was well attended. Some of the highlights seem worth passing along to those who could not be there.
Come to the APNA General Meeting
Come to the general meeting of your neighborhood association. There will be a lot of information to keep you informed of activities in our community. Be involved. See you there.
Neighborhood Newsletter
From the President’s Pen
February 2018
Greetings friends and neighbors:
This is the first APNA newsletter for 2018.
It’s already been a busy year. In January, this year’s APNA board and alternates met for a strategic planning session. A lot of new things came out of that meeting, many of which you will see reflected in this year’s agendas.
New committees were defined and developed to address all the different things APNA is working on to help make this a better place to live. We are also seeking a stronger relationship with all the wonderful people in the neighborhood who, everyday, do special things that make this a great community to live in. We know we are missing many residents especially those who do not have computers. We want as many voices heard as this is your neighborhood and we want to represent all of you.
This year, like last, development issues will take a lot of time, effort and commitment, to help insure that the development enhances living here, rather than conflicting with our existing community. To do this, APNA has created a standing Development Committee, rather than having ad-hoc working groups.
We have also created a historic committee which will research historic monuments of the neighborhood as well as work with other historic neighborhoods in Tucson and Phoenix to share best practices in maintaining our historic standing, and mitigate over-development both locally and on a state wide level. Additionally, a historic streetscape documentation project is underway to formally document the Armory Park’s streetscape as part of the historic preservation process.
Below are updates on what we accomplished last year as well as what we will be doing this year. Look for the holiday lights contest winners, social gatherings coming up and what efforts are being made to keep Armory Park the unique neighborhood that it is.
The best way to understand what is happening, where, and why is to come to neighborhood meetings as each of the projects that impact us are discussed in real-time; we all have to work together to keep our neighborhood character alive. Please come and add your input to the conversation!
Please watch out for regular updates on meetings, news, and events at our website, www.armoryparktucson.org and our updated Facebook page, Armory Park Neighborhood Association and the Armory Park listserv. And please, let us know how you want to become involved this year!
Email us at info@armoryparktucson.org.
Best wishes,
Anne Cooper, President, APNA
Currents:
Historic Zone Tips
A Message from Your Neighbors on the Armory Park Historic Zone Advisory Board:
DO YOU WANT TO SAVE TIME AND MONEY WHEN YOU PLAN TO MAKE CHANGES TO YOUR HISTORIC HOME IN ARMORY PARK?
Here’s what you need to know. Continue reading “Historic Zone Tips”
It’s Home Tour Time
Journey through Tucson’s architectural evolution when downtown denizens open their doors for the Armory Park Historic District Tour. This self-guided stroll offers a glimpse at styles ranging from California bungalow and dainty Victorian to clever, contemporary, adaptations of vintage commercial buildings. (more below) Continue reading “It’s Home Tour Time”
Armory Park Neighborhood Association 