The CUP Approval Process
TOWN OF SAHUARITA: THE DECISION PROCESS
FOR THE VULCAN TYPE 3 CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT (CUP) APPLICATION
SAHUARITA TOWN COUNCIL - MANAGER FORM OF GOVERNMENT
Sources:
"Organization Tree/Chart" : Town of Sahuarita website
https://sahuaritaaz.gov/DocumentCenter/View/7865/Org-Tree-v3-w-Curved-Lines?bidId=
Information was extracted from the Town of Sahuarita website https://sahuaritaaz.gov/. as of 11/28/2023.
The structure of the town government is the council-manager form of government. This means that the Sahuarita Town Council is responsible for the policy matters of the town and hires a town manager to oversee staff and carry out the day to day functions of the town.
The council is responsible for the legislative functions of the municipality, such as establishing policies, adopting local ordinances, voting appropriations, developing an overall vision for the community, and other such functions as provided by law.
The town manager is the chief administrative officer of the town and works under the general direction of the town council to ensure effective, efficient and equitable delivery of government services, This is an appointed position.
The planning and building department provides building permits for construction within the town limits and inspects all projects for quality and safety.
The planning and zoning division is responsible for coordinating the review of new subdivision plats and commercial development plans for compliance with town policies and regulations, including the town's general plan, which establishes conceptual goals for decades to come.
The planning & zoning commission reviews and provides recommendations to the Town Council on proposed amendments to the General Plan and the Zoning Ordinance.
For the VULCAN TYPE 3 CUP -
the players are the Mayor and Town Council, the Planning and Zoning Commission,
Town Management, and the Planning and Zoning Division.
TOWN OF SAHUARITA DECISION PROCESS FLOW
Notice to the public is required by the Town Code for Public Hearings. Read about the Public Notice Requirements.
DECISION INFLUENCERS AND DECISION MAKERS - ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The Planning & Zoning Commission is comprised of seven members*, each nominated and appointed by the Mayor and Town Council.
*(Update April 2023: Upon resignation of one of the commissioners (Cathy Maghran) the Council voted to operate with five rather than seven Commissioners).
In most cases, the Planning and Zoning Commission serves as a recommending body to the Mayor and Town Council; however, the Commission does have decision-making authority on certain cases.
Decisions and recommendations of the Commission occur during noticed public hearings. The Commission also advises the Mayor and Town Council on planning and zoning policies, plans, and regulations.
Planning and Zoning Division - Review, Analyze, and Recommend to Commission
Planning and Zoning Commission (appointed positions) - Hold Public Hearings and Recommend
Sahuarita Town Council - Final Approver
The town council consists of seven elected officers who serve four-year staggered terms, one of whom is designated as mayor and one of whom is designated as vice mayor. Voters do not elect a mayor. Instead, council members will pick a mayor and vice mayor from among themselves at the first meeting after the general election is canvassed by the county.
Mayor Tom Murphy
Tom Murphy was elected to the Town Council in 2013.
Re-elected 2022.
Mr. Murphy was selected as Mayor in December 2016.
Council Term Expires: 2026
Kara Egbert/ Vice Mayor was elected a member of the Sahuarita Town Council in 2009 and elected again in 2013.
In 2018, she was appointed to serve as the Vice Mayor. Egbert is a fellow of the Flinn Brown Civic Leadership, ...
Council Term Expires: 2026
Bill Bracco came to Sahuarita in 2005 from the Washington, D.C. area. He was elected to Town Council in 2011 and served as Vice Mayor from June 2013 to December 2016.
In March of 2020, Bracco was elected Chairman of the Board to the Green Valley Sahuarita Chamber of Commerce...
Council Term Expires: 2024
Simon Davis was appointed to the Sahuarita Town Council in September of 2019.
Davis spent 28 years serving in the Green Valley Fire District starting out as an EMT Firefighter and worked his way through the ranks.
He retired from the District in July of 2014 as the Fire Chief...
Council Term Expires: 2024
Deborah Morales was re-elected to the Town Council in 2022 to a 4-year term.
Morales moved to Rancho Sahuarita in 2003. She worked as a 911 operator / dispatcher for the City of South Tucson Police, Fire and Meds, including the Town of Sahuarita Police Dept. A year later, she began a career with the Town of Sahuarita in the Building Safety
Department.
Council Term Expires: 2026
Dr. Steven Gillespie was appointed to the Sahuarita Town Council in June 2022.
Dr. Gillespie earned his Doctor of Podiatric Medicine. He moved to Sahuarita in 2013 to complete his three-year surgical residency at the Southern Arizona VA Healthcare System in Tucson. Since that time he has worked as a podiatrist in the Sahuarita/ Green Valley community. Read more
Council Term Expires: 2024
Diane Priolo was appointed to the Sahuarita Town council in June 2022.
Having left NYC at age 38, she spent the next thirty years in the Chapel Hill, NC area primarily employed at the University of North Carolina Hospital. Her skills as the Complex Case Manager are well respected within that institution....
Council Term Expires: 2024
Town Council Member Contact Information:
Sahuarita Mayor and Town Council:
Sahuarita Town Staff Directory:
UPCOMING TOWN COUNCIL ELECTION CANDIDATES
UPCOMING ELECTIONS
Primary Election In August preceding the Fall 2024 General election
Fall 2024: Four Council Member seats
Fall 2026: Three Council Member seats
2024 Town Council Candidates
Diane Priolo was appointed in June 2022 filling Melissa Hicks seat.
Simon Davis was appointed in 2019 and elected in 2020.
Steven Gillespie (filled Gil Lusk seat) in 2022.
Bill Bracco (first elected in 2011).
2026 Town Council Candidates
Kara Egbert (last elected in 2022. First elected in 2009).
Tom Murphy (last elected in 2022. First elected in 2013).
Deborah Morales ( last elected in 2022. First elected in 2020).
Sahuarita Town Management
Town Manager - Shane Dille
Shane was hired as the Sahuarita Town Manager on January 28, 2022. He serves as the chief administrative officer for the Town of Sahuarita.
The town manager directs and coordinates staff to implement town council policies and decisions with the highest level of professionalism and customer service.
The town manager serves at the pleasure of Sahuarita Town Council as an appointee.
Assistant Town Manager -
Beth Abramovitz
Beth was originally hired on as the Assistant Town Engineer and within two years was promoted to Public Works Director. She now holds the title of both Assistant Town Manager and Town Engineer.
The Assistant Town Manager provides executive leadership and supervision to selected divisions.
One of which is Planning and Building and Planning and Zoning. Read more
Department directors are hired by the town manager and work under the direction of the manager to create a strategic plan (with council's guidance and input) that provides a framework for accomplishing town goals. The manager juggles town projects that involve both day-to-day operations and long-term goals. .... Read more
Link to team members biographies, Town Attorney information
Town Management Staff
Shane Dille - Town Manager
Beth Abramovitz - Assistant Town Manager
Mark Felix - Management Assistant
Nathan Barrett - Management Analysts
Jon Paladini of the law firm of Pierce Coleman, PLLC is the Town Attorney
DECEMBER 2023 TOWN OF SAHUARITA STUDY SESSION PRESENTATION
A Study Session regarding Conditional Use Permits (CUP) and the Vulcan Asphalt Application WILL BE conducted on December 11, 2023 by the Town of Sahuarita. To view full presentation: Click/tap: HERE
Areas discussed in the presentation will be Nature of Town Council, Due Process, Zoning codes, what goes into the analysis and what does not.
Analysis inputs to CUP Process:
Seven CUP Findings
Compliance with General Plan policies
Conformance to zoning regulations
Adverse impacts – if any, can they be substantially mitigated?
Vehicular access and circulation
Served by utilities and services
Meet established regulatory standards for noise, smoke, glare, odors,pollution, etc.
Hours of operation
Preliminary Development Plan / Site Plan
What does not go into the CUP Analysis: Read More
APRIL 2023 TOWN OF SAHUARITA STUDY SESSION PRESENTATION
A Study Session regarding Conditional Use Permits (CUP) and the Vulcan Asphalt Application was conducted on April 3, 2023 by the Town of Sahuarita. To view full presentation: Click/tap: HERE
Areas discussed in the presentation were: Purpose of Conditional use in zoning. Background of the Vulcan Materials property. what is conditional use, process for type 3 CUP, what goes into the analysis of a CUP... some excerpts from that presentation can be found below.
Zoning Discussions
Sahuarita Zoning Code Section 18.97.010
Purpose: Conditional uses provide zoning flexibility, but, due to their potentially adverse impacts, require the site-specific review
processes established in this chapter.
CONDITIONAL USE PERMITS
Sahuarita Zoning Code Section 18.97.030
Procedures and requirements.
Findings. The applicant must demonstrate that all of the following findings are met:
a. The conditional use complies with the objectives of the general plan or the area plan in which the property is situated;
b. The conditional use conforms to the zoning regulations applicable for that use and the zone in which it is located;
c. The conditional use does not adversely impact adjacent property or the surrounding neighborhood or area, or that such impacts can be substantially mitigated through the use of additional conditions;
Sahuarita Zoning Code Section 18.97.020
Definitions.
B. “Conditional use” means a use which, due to its greater potential for nuisance or hazard than other uses of the zone, has its establishment in a zone conditional upon the procedures and standards of this chapter.
What goes into a CUP analysis?
• Compliance with General Plan policies
• Conformance to zoning regulations
• Adverse impacts – if any, are they substantially mitigated?
• Vehicular access and circulation
• Served by utilities and services
• Meet standards for noise, smoke, glare, odors, pollution, etc.
• Hours of operation