Life Coach in Catalina Foothills, AZ

Catalina Foothills, an unincorporated area north of Tucson, is getting much-needed housing, despite neighbors’ concerns over traffic safety and potential destruction of critical wildlife habitat.

The Tucson area has a severe housing gap, with not enough affordable rentals or single-family houses.

A California-based developer, UIP Quail Canyon LLC, wants to build more than 300 units of housing in the highly sought-after area. Catalina Foothills is known for beautiful mountain views, upscale restaurants, expansive desert landscape and large lots, and is a popular area to live.

On July 11, the developer requested the Pima County Board of Supervisors approve its request to rezone 53 acres of land to allow for the construction of single- and multifamily homes.

The company proposed building a three-story, seven-building, 210-unit apartment complex on the north end of the property and 116 two-story single-family homes on the south end. Of the land to be developed, 22 acres are classified as a riparian area and will remain undisturbed except for the construction of a bridge, according to Pima County staff.

The land is on the former Quail Canyon Golf Course that opened in the 1960s and closed five years ago, located near the intersection of Oracle Road and Rudasill Road and intersected by the Pima Wash.

The Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 to approve the rezoning, with Supervisor Adelita Grijalva voting against.

Grijalva reiterated many concerns voiced by community members, from the impact on wildlife to emergency access on the roads, and wondered if the company would continue to work with the neighborhood after the board's approval.

“Quail Canyon is the wrong place for a high-density project. … I continue to have concerns about how the community input is going to happen,” Grijalva said.

District 1 Supervisor Rex Scott, whose district includes the area, supported the proposal. While the housing is market rate, and not considered affordable housing, it will still add houses to the market, he said.

He called the project an “appropriate infill development” partly for its proximity to Oracle Road, a major north-south corridor, and its location near retail stores, employment and services. It also would add to the county’s housing stock, he said.

Scott said the company worked with the Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection, which supports the project, to protect the riparian area.

Transportation, flood control managers support the project

Despite residents’ concerns about road safety on Rudasill Road, which included blind spots, dangerous curves and steep hills, the county transportation department said there are no transportation concerns. Oracle and Rudasill are under capacity, according to a staff report.

The Pima County Regional Flood Control District also supported the project, noting that the development does not disturb intact riparian habitat and exceeds flood mitigation standards.

“The development, as proposed, meets and exceeds federal, state, and local flood mitigation standards for this type of development, and can be constructed such that it is at minimal risk of flood damage and that it does not cause an adverse impact to others,” the district stated in a June 15 memo.

The developer also committed to implementing ways to mitigate impacts on wildlife, including using low-level pedestrian lighting, maximizing rain harvesting, implementing renewable energy sources, using gabions to protect the banks of the Pima Wash and revegetating the wash.

The developer said it also would restore areas of the Pima Wash previously disturbed by the golf course.

The project is leaving much of the wildlife area untouched and preserving half of the 62 saguaros. But 5 acres of riparian habitat will be disturbed for parking and driveway circulation, according to a county staff report.

Residents implore board to deny the rezoning

Many area residents spoke out against the development, noting its location in a riparian habitat and fears that nearby roads could not handle more traffic.

The county received 730 written comments in opposition to the rezoning request, according to a June 16 memo.

At the July 11 public hearing, many residents in the area spoke about their concerns about the riparian habitat.

“This development turns a critical wildlife corridor into a terror zone for wildlife,” Joan Scott said. She noted the development would impact the resilience of the wildlife area, and additional residents would mean additional disturbance near a critical wildlife corridor.

Others noted the already busy streets would become more congested with additional residents nearby.

However, citing Tucson’s housing crisis, some residents spoke in support.

“I am here to speak for the hundreds of people who would benefit from this development plan who are struggling during this affordable housing crisis,” Miranda Lopez said. “I believe this project will help address our region-wide housing shortage and especially our need for infill development near existing jobs, schools and infrastructure.”

Reach the reporter at sarah.lapidus@gannett.com. The Republic’s coverage of southern Arizona is funded, in part, with a grant from Report for America. Support Arizona news coverage with a tax-deductible donation at supportjournalism.azcentral.com.

The AIA tennis season wrapped up at Paseo Racquet Center in Glendale on Saturday with the boys' and girls' team championships in Division I, II and III, along with individual and doubles titles. Scottsdale Desert Mountain, Tucson Catalina Foothills and Phoenix Country Day all showed why they have been among the top programs in Arizona in recent years. Here's a rundown:

Division I: Desert Mountain wins boys, girls championships

The Wolves took home both the boys' and girls' Division I team tennis championships Saturday, with both teams clinching their titles after their singles flights were completed.

The No. 1 girls team swept their singles mathes against No. 3 Desert Vista 5-0. The team result was sealed in the battle of the No. 2s, when Desert Mountain sophomore Tessa Watchel won the final point against Desert Vista sophomore Natalie Visic, the Division I singles runner-up, to give Watchel her the second set victory 6-4 and the flight victory 2-0. That sealed Desert Mountain's third consecutive Division I championship. and third straight undefeated season.

“These girls have worked so hard,” said Wolves head coach Kim Dever. “They have just worked out hard in our tournaments and just brought it today. It was exciting to see every one of our courts fighting hard.”

The only team that managed to take a set off of Desert Mountain in the playoffs was No. 4 Hamilton in the semifinals, but the Wolves took care of them 5-2.

The Wolves' boys team was seeded No. 3, but won the boys team championship over No. 1 Brophy Prep, another Arizona high school tennis power. The Broncos entered the championship match having won seven of the last 10 Division I championships, their last title loss coming against Desert Mountain in 2021.

On Saturday, the championship came down to the battle of the No. 6 competitors, Desert Mountain senior Yuki Matsui versus Brophy junior Austin Kos, coming down to a tiebreaker. Matsui avenged his loss earlier in the season to Kos, 10-5, clinching Desert Mountain's second boys team tennis title in the past three seasons.

"I couldn't be prouder of these kids," said Desert Mountain boys head coach Jay Curtis. "I have three freshmen in this group doing this so it's even more impressive."

Division II: Catalina Foothills reigns supreme

Catalina Foothills has been a dominant D-II program and showed again why Saturday, winning both the boys and girls championships again. The boys went into their match against No. 5 Flagstaff having won eight consecutive Division II championships. The girls went into their match against No. 2 AZ College Prep having won four straight.

The No. 1 girls conceded 10 sets combined in their first five singles matches Saturday, but sealed the title in the No. 4 matchup when senior Maria Aranguren swept AZ College Prep junior Yewon Kim 6-0 in their second set.

"I'm pretty proud of these girls," said Catalina Foothills head coach Daniel Root. "They had to live up to a stellar team that preceded them, and they just did a magnificent job."

The boys' team would soon follow suit, sweeping No. 5 Flagstaff in their singles flights 5-0 against giving No. 2 Catalina Foothills their ninth straight boys Division II title, which is now a state record.

"It's a legacy," said Catalina Foothills head coach Jeffry Bloomberg. "Go back 10 years ago when we started this run, and these kids fed into that, they know what the deal is and they know what the record is, and they just wanted to keep it going." The title is Bloomberg's seventh as the head coach.

In a faceoff of the No. 5 players, Catalina Foothills senior Suraj Shah defeated Flagstaff freshman August Fahy 7-5 in their second set, giving Shah the match victory and sealing the championship.

Division III: Phoenix Country Day takes boys, girls titles

Last season, Phoenix Country Day took home both boys and girls team tennis trophies. To try and do it again in consecutive seasons is easier said than done, but that's what the Eagles did on Saturday, winning both the boys and girls team championships.

On the girls side, No. 5 Phoenix Country Day swept No. 3 Tucson Pusch Ridge 5-0 in the singles flights, making the Eagles back-to-back champions.

"We continue to strive for excellence," said Phoenix Country Day head coach Jerry Keever. "We work really hard to peak at the state tournament, and we had good competition and we persevered."

In the No 4 singles duel, Phoenix Country Day senior Elle Bartolino sealed the deal for the Eagles when she won her second set versus Pusch Ridge senior Madi Van Holsbeke 6-4. That gave Bartolino the match victory and the Eagles' fifth win of the singles flights.

After the girls played, the boys took the court. In the closest match of the day, No. 2 Phoenix Country Day was in a fight with No. 1 Thatcher.

After four singles flights, the score was knotted at 2-2. In the match of No. 3s, Phoenix Country Day sophomore Carter Kroeger won against Thatcher junior Blake Kartchner 10-8 in their third tiebreaker set to give the Eagles a 3-2 lead. In the final singles flight of the day and the closest match, Phoenix Country Day sophomore Linus Gino-Griffiths and Thatcher junior Gee Huish went back and forth in the third tiebreaker set, with no real separation from either player. It took 13 points, but Huish was able to even up the score once again in a marathon 13-11 victory in the third set, which meant for the first time all day, doubles would be played.

The two teams split two doubles matchups, with the No. 2 Phoenix Country Day team of Kroeger and senior Tyler Tam awith No. 3 Thatcher team of junior Brock Smith and senior Carter Bryce winning in their respective matchups. It came down to the No. 1 doubles flight. Thatcher had the early lead, having a 3-2 set lead. But the reigning Division III doubles champions of junior Jacques Sevrain and Gino-Griffiths went on a 5-1 run to give Phoenix Country Day their fifth point of the match and the much coveted three-peat.

"I felt fairly confident that we had two strong doubles teams," said Keever. "(The No. 1 team matchup) was close, it was very competitive, but they prevailed as doubles champions do."

Singles championships

Division I boys: Mountain Ridge junior Lincoln Baldonado def. Desert Mountain senior Trevor Rein (4-6, 6-4, 10-7)

Division I girls: Desert Vista senior Sydney Schnell def. Desert Vista sophomore Natalie Visic (3-6, 6-0, 11-9)

Division II boys: Raymond S. Kellis senior Adam Sun def. Catalina Foothills senior Jared Perry (6-2, 6-2)

Division II girls: Canyon View sophomore Zaria McGinty def. Ironwood sophomore Sasha Tijore (7-5, 6-1)

Division III boys: Rancho Solano Prep freshman Jaden Litt def. Scottsdale Prep senior Connor Swenson (6-3, 6-3)

Division III girls: Scottsdale Prep junior Nandini Patel def. Rancho Solano Prep junior Siona Vallabhaneni (6-4, 6-4).

Doubles championships

Division I boys: Brophy junior Andre Johnson and senior Hadley Kukla def. Desert Mountain freshmen Jeronimo Ledesma and Daniel Yuke (6-3, 6-3)

Division I girls: Desert Mountain senior Julia Frazier and sophomore Tessa Watchel def. Xavier Prep juniors Danielle Dyer and Belani Soto (6-3, 7-6(3)) .

Division II boys: Catalina Foothills sophomore Jason Jia and junior Santiago Lietzau def. Paradise Valley junior Nimith Gurijala and senior Jason Latz (4-6, 6-3, 10-8)

Division II girls: Notre Dame Prep freshman Gracie Cranford and senior Kira Lehman def. Catalina Foothills junior Morgan Filer and senior Maria Aranguren (6-1, 6-4)

Division III boys: Phoenix Country Day sophomores Jacques Sevrain and Linus Gino-Griffiths def. Veritas Prep seniors Ian Townsend and Jack Victor (6-3, 3-6, 10-8)

Division III girls: Chandler Prep senior Gaby Chu and junior Sonali Bhalla def. Gilbert Christian seniors Isabella Branton and Margaret Rowan (6-3, 7-5).

The AIA boys high school tennis team championship tournament begins Wednesday in all three divisions and concludes May 6. The indivdual and doubles championships begin Friday and conclude May 1. Here is a breakdown of the divisions in the 16-team tournament:

Division I

Favorites

No. 1 Brophy is the only undefeated team in D-I. The Broncos defeated every team in the top 10 of D-1 other than Tucson Rincon, who they did not meet in the regular season. They're also the defending champions and haven't lost a match since the 2021 season. Riding an outstanding 32-match winning streak since last year, the Broncos are clear favorites to win it all again.

The two teams best equipped to stop Brophy are No. 2 Hamilton and No. 3 Desert Mountain, both consistently competiive programs. Hamilton lost one match this season, which was to Brophy, but the Huskies have been great outside of that, rattling off eight straight wins since then. Desert Mountain gave Brophy their toughest contest this season, a 5-4 Broncos win that came down to the final doubles set. Despite losing two matches this season to the top two teams in 6A, the Wolves know what it takes to end Brophy's dominance, as they're the last school to defeat the Broncos, in the 2021 6A championship match.

Others to watch:

A major wildcard in this tournament is No. 6 Tucson Rincon. The Rangers are 13-1 and their only loss this season was against Division II dynasty Catalina Foothills. The Rangers are undefeated against 6A schools this season and could make a deep run if they're able to beat No. 11 Desert Vista in the opening round and potentially No. 3 Desert Mountain in the second round.

No. 9 Chaparral is another school that could give a higher-seeded team problems in the second round. The Firebirds were the 6A runner-up last season. A rematch with the Broncos is certainly possible if they're able to get past No. 8 Red Mountain in the first round.

No. 10 Mesa Mountain View is a team that could pull of an uset or two. The Toros are no strangers to underdog playoff wins, besting No. 4 Marana last season in the first round as a No. 13 seed. This time around, they just squeezed into the top 10 and get a first-round match against No. 7 Perry. Whoever advances from that match faces the Hamilton-Marana (No. 15) wnner.

See the full Division I bracket here.

Division II

Favorites:

Unlike Division I, Division II has multiple undefeated teams: No. 1 Estrella Foothills, No. 2 Catalina Foothills, No. 3 AZ College Prep and No. 4 Paradise Valley. Estrella Foothills of Goodyear, and Tucson Catalina Foothills have swept all but three of their opponents in matches this season. The schools met in the D-II championship last season, in which Catalina Foothills their eighth consecutive D-II championship. There's no reason why both can't reaturn for a title rematch this year.

But a few schools could have something to say about that. Chandler AZ College Prep and Paradise Valley will both look to shake up the top of Division II. AZ College Prep made the jump up to Division II after last season, which saw them make a run to the Division III championship match, where the Knights fell to Phoenix Country Day. The Knights are proving they belong in D-II, going undefeated in their first season at that level. If the Knights, which open against McClintock, make it all the way to the semifinals, they could face Catalina Foothills. Paradise Valley has the required postseason experience to go far in the tournament. The Trojans were the 2021 runner-up to Catalina Foothills.

Others to watch

No. 5 Flagstaff enters the tournament on a 12-match winning streak, having lost only once all season -- their season opener against No. 1 Estrella Foothills. The Eagles kept it closeer to the Wolves than any other team this season, building a 4-3 set lead before falling 4-5. If they can get past No. 12 ALA-Gilbert North and Paradise Valley in a potential second-round match, they could face Estrella Foothills in the semifinals.

No. 9 Sahuarita might be underrated. The Mustangs are coming into the tournament off a 14-win regular season. They won't have to go far for their first-round matchup against No. 8 Tucson Salpointe Catholic. If they can beat the Lancers, they likely will face No. 1 Estrella Foothills in the second round.

See the full Division II bracket here.

Division III

Favorites

The clear two favorites in Division III are No. 1 Thatcher and No. 2 Phoenix Country Day, two teams that compete in different sections and didn't meet durng the regular season. Thatcher, located in southeast Arizona near Safford, is 14-0 and gained eight sweeps., as did Phoenix Country Day (10-0). PCD is eyeying a potential threepeat after winning the last two Division III titles. The teams met in the 2022 semifinals and beat them 5-2. A rematch, this time in the Division III championship, wouldn't be a surprise..

No. 3 Pusch Ridge and No. 4 Scottsdale Prep round out the top four. Both schools have only lost once this season, Pusch Ridge lost to Thatcher and Scottsdale Prep lost to Phoenix Country Day. In this tournament format, there's a good chance they both put up a good fight against the top two teams if they make it to the semifinals, as Pusch Ridge didn't face Phoenix Country Day this season and Scottsdale Prep didn't face Thatcher this season.

No. 5 Anthem Prep is the third undefeated team in Division III. The Eagles have only played nine matches this season, but have looked dominant, procuring six sweeps. If they defeat No. 12 Safford, they face the winner of Scottsdale Prep vs. No. 13 The Gregory School.

Wild Cards:

No. 7 Chandler Prep (10-2) had close losses against No. 4 Scottsdale Prep and No. 8 Gilbert Christian. Both losses were by a score of 4-5, They also sport wins over No. 9 Veritas Prep and No. 11 Gilbert Classical. The Titans get a first-round showdown with No. 10 Tanque Verde and if they're able to win against the Hawks, a probable second=round matchup with two-time defending Division III champions Phoenix Country Day awaits them.

See the full Division III bracket here.

The AIA girls high school tennis team championship tournament begins Wednesday in all three divisions and concludes May 6. The individual and doubles championships begin Friday and conclude May 1. Here is a breakdown of the divisions in the 16-team tournament:

Division I

Favorites

The clear favorite in Division I is No. 1 Desert Mountain. The Wolves, a perennial D-I power, hasn't lost a match since the 2019 season and are on a 53-game winning streak (yes, you read that right). The Wolves have won two Division I championships in that span, and there's no reason to believe they can't capture a third straight title. They've only conceded five sets in the regular season and 11 out of their 14 wins were sweeps.

One team that could be capable of stopping the Desert Mountain dynasty is No. 2 Xavier Prep. The Gators gave Desert Mountain their toughest match of the season when they took three sets from the Wolves in the regular season. Xavier won the 2019 Division I championship and was runner-up in 2022.

No. 3 Desert Vista is the other team that could stop Desert Mountain. The Thunder are 12-2 with losses to both Desert Mountain and Xavier in the regular season. While they did get swept by Desert Mountain, they only lost by one set (4-5) to Xavier Prep. If they win their first-round matchup against No. 14 Liberty followed by a second-round victory over the winner of No. 6 Corona del Sol vs. No. 11 Perry, they could face Xavier again.

Others to watch

Not really an underdog, but No. 4 Hamilton could give Desert Mountain their toughest match of the season if they face them in the semifinals. Hamilton is last team to defeat the Wolves and the Huskies were runners-up in both 2019 and 2021. On a six-game winning streak, Hamilton shouldn't be counted out. Their first-round matchup is against No. 13 Millenium.

No. 10 Gila Ridge will look to shock the Division I world this season. The Hawks finished the regular season with a 13-1 record, which was good enough to tie Xavier Prep for the second most wins in Division I. After losing in the first round of the Division I playoffs in 2021 and missing state entirely in 2022, Gila Ridge is ready to show they belong. They have a first-round matchup against No. 7 Horizon.

See the full Division I bracket here.

Division II

Favorites

The two teams poised to make a run at the Division II championship are No. 1 Catalina Foothills and No. 2 AZ College Prep. Catalina Foothills has had a stranglehold on the division, winning the last four Division II titles. The Falcons have certainly looked the part, going 11-0 with eight sweeps. It's hard to make a case against them not winning another D-II team title. But AZ College Prep could provide a challenge. The Knights moved up to D-II after making it to the Division III semifinals last year, and the move has been a seamless transition for the program, going 13-0 in the regular season. The two teams never have met.

Others to watch

Several other schools could make a good run at the Division II championship, including No. 5 Canyon View and No. 6 Sahuarita, both undefeated. Both made the playoffs last season and. Canyon View plays No. 12 Notre Dame Prep in the first-round while Sahuarita meets No. 11 Canyon Del Oro in their first-round matchup.

No. 3 Salpointe Catholic and No. 4 Arcadia round out the top six. Salpointe Catholic played Catalina Foothills the closest this season, taking three sets from the Falcons. The Lancers have a first-round matchup with No. 14 Nogales, and if they get past them and their second-round matchup, they could face AZ College Prep. Arcadia finished as the runners-up last year and could have a rematch with Catalina Foothills in the semifinals.

If you're looking for an upset candidate, take a look at No. 13 Verrado. The Vipers finished the regular season with a 13-1 record with their only loss coming to No. 5 Canyon View. Verrado does have a tough first-round matchup against No. 4 Arcadia.

See the full Division II bracket here.

Division III

Favorites

There are two undefeated teams in Division III, No. 1 Chandler Prep and No. 2 Basis Flagstaff. Chandler Prep made a run to the semifinals last year as a No. 8 seed and has built off of that, going 13-0 and sweeping every single school on their schedule outside of one. After being upset by No. 11 Gilbert Christian in the first-round last year, Basis Flagstaff is back and better, going 10-0 in the regular season. The Yetis have a first-round matchup with No. 15 Northland Prep, which Basis Flagstaff defeated in their last regular season game.

Three schools come into the tournament with only one loss. No. 3 Pusch Ridge, No. 4 Scottsdale Prep and No. 5 Phoenix Country Day all are capable of making a run to the finals. Pusch Ridge has the most wins in all of Division II with 14 but does have one loss, which came to Division II school Salpointe Catholic. The Lions want to have a better tournament showing than last season, which saw them crashing out of the second round as the No. 1 seed against No. 8 Chandler Prep. Scottsdale Prep (2021) and Phoenix Country Day (2022) are the last two champions in D-III. Scottsdale Prep's loss came to Chandler Prep while they also handed Phoenix Country Day their only loss of the season.

Others to watch

If you're looking for an upset team in Division III, No. 10 Glendale Prep could be the one. The Griffins finished the regular season with a 12-1 record with their only loss coming to Phoenix Country Day. They'll have a first-round matchup with No. 7 Anthem Prep, and if they manage to beat the Eagles, they'll more than likely have No. 2 Flagstaff waiting for them in the in second round. If that matchup happens, it could be competitive showdown.

See the full Division III bracket here.

Canyon View High School (Waddell) defeated Catalina Foothills (Tucson), 72-62, in the 5A state girl's basketball championship semifinal game at Canyon View on Feb. 28, 2023.

Tags

Photos: Step inside the Tucson run of "Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience."

After weeks of anticipation, the Tucson run of "Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience" opens on Friday, Aug. 11, at the Oro Valley Marketplace.

Photos: ArtFest

More than a dozen artists, performers and entertainers took over rooms at Hotel McCoy to not only show off their skills, but in some cases lea…

Photos: Fleetwood Mac's 1977 concert at Arizona Stadium in Tucson

Around 67,000 people attended the August 1977 concert at Arizona Stadium headlined by the famous rock band. The lineup also included Kenny Log…

Historic August front pages from the Star's archives

News of note from past Augusts included: the resignation of President Nixon, Social Security becoming law, an atomic bomb dropped in Japan, Ma…

Photos: Tucson's 2023 monsoon

Follow along with the Arizona Daily Star's photographers as they cover monsoon storms, flooding, rain and wind damage.

Photos: The Mount Lemmon Lodge is open for business

After nearly 2½ years of construction, Mount Lemmon Lodge is finally open.

Photos: First day of school at Elvira Elementary School, Sunnyside Unified School District

School is back in session for students in the Sunnyside Unified School District. Students said goodbye to their parents/caregivers as they ret…

Tucson speaks up: Letters to the editor for the week of Aug. 4, 2023

Our weekly round-up of letters published in the Arizona Daily Star.