Zoning & Land USE
Zoning to preserve, TMA’s mission
One of TMA’s historical missions is to preserve open space and the rural residential character of the Tucson Mountains. We do this by protecting open space and offering our input to zoning decisions and county land use policies. TMA has protected open space by supporting the expansion of Saguaro National Park, and contributing funds to create Sweetwater Preserve within the historical boundaries of TMA, east of the Tucson Mountains.
Zoning designations in the Tucson Mountains
Zoning partitions land use in Pima County for different purposes: commercial, manufacturing, or residential. Within the TMA historical boundaries are low density Residential zones:
- Single Residence (CR-1 = one dwelling per acre) most in subdivisions;
- Suburban Ranch Estate (SR = one dwelling per 3.3 acres) predominant in the Tucson Mountains.
Different land uses have other zoning or codes in Pima County Title 18 Zoning or Chapter 18.01 referred to as the County Zoning Code.
Rezoning requests
Rezoning requests to the county are often to increase residential density or to change the use to commercial. A rezoning request can be for large parcels of many properties, usually CR-1 or SR, or for a single parcel. For many years TMA, sometimes with other organizations, has opposed rezonings for higher density or that impact the Sonoran Desert. TMA has been successful opposing rezonings in the Tucson Mountains to preserve our open space rural residential character.
Count Land Use Plans, “Pima Prospers”
TMA also protects the Tucson Mountains by providing input to county land use policies, now called the Pima Prospers Comprehensive Plan. TMA did not provide input to the 2015 Pima Prospers Comprehensive Plan, and has provided significant input to the updated 2025 Plan.
Broader Connections: Interstate 11 and Project Blue
TMA’s land use mission extends to broader city and state projects. We are particularly concerned about a plan to build a new freeway, Interstate 11, in Avra Valley directly west of the Tucson Mountains. We are also concerned about proposals for massive data centers in Tucson, such as Project Blue.
