East Side

Horse arena plan stirs concerns

An East Side couple has a vision of bringing an indoor horse arena to Tucson, but the site they've chosen has drawn opposition to the project from community groups. Don and Suzanne Rogers' planned Platinum Farms would occupy about a third of a 72-acre parcel in a riparian area east of Houghton Road between the Agua Caliente and Tanque Verde washes. "The way the property's designed, everything's going to be on a very upscale level," said Don Rogers. "It will be in the top 10 equine sports complexes in the United States." "That's our hope," said Suzanne Rogers. The couple is working out an agreement with neighbors adjoining the property, agreeing to limit major horse shows to 15 per year and offering other concessions. But the Tanque Verde Valley Association, which has fought other development projects in the past with a mission of protecting the wildlife and vegetation of the East Side area, opposes the project. The Sierra Club Rincon Group also has come out against the project, planned to include an 87,500-square-foot indoor riding arena. Both groups say the riparian status of the land makes the property too delicate to sustain the commercial development envisioned by the Rogerses. "The development is so huge, they are going to have to take out a considerable amount of old-growth forest, unless they scale back," said Marcus Jernigan, a Sierra Club member. "I'm also concerned about the water use of the development. The whole property is in an important riparian area as designated by the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan." One of the main goals of the project is to provide Tucsonans a place to ride their horses when daytime temperatures are 95 degrees and climbing. For expensive horses, especially, worth $50,000 and up, riding isn't possible during the day. But someone boarding a horse at Platinum Farms could break away during the lunch hour to exercise the horse. "You don't take a whole day out of your busy life," Suzanne Rogers said. Don Rogers said the planned 15 major shows would draw about 200 people, with no more than 235 horses, including up to 135 horses to be boarded on the property. The project would feature a covered arena with seating for 800, parking, an outdoor arena, English riding stables, Western riding stables and a roping arena. The agreement in the works between Platinum Farms and immediate neighbors of the property says that the project will limit water consumption of any private wells on the property to no more than 18,000 gallons per week for horse and livestock use and no more than is reasonably necessary for tree and shrub irrigation. Water for residents and guests of the property would be provided by Tucson Water. Platinum Farms also would be required, where practical, to install systems to collect and recycle rainwater for use in watering vegetation. A 1,000-pound horse consumes about 12 gallons daily, or 84 gallons a week, Suzanne Rogers said. The Rogerses estimate that 135 horses would consume about 11,340 gallons of water per week. New well regulations in Pima County allow the use of 35 gallons per minute, or 50,000 gallons a day, she said. The agreement also sets wastewater management requirements for Platinum Farms. The farm would be required to collect all water from horse bathing and channel the water to the Pima County sewer to avoid potential contamination to groundwater. Solid-waste and fly mitigation requirements include providing a minimum of weekly off-site removal of all animal waste. Recycled solid waste may also be distributed on the property, in arenas only, with the understanding that such dispersal meets Pima County requirements and does not affect the quality of local groundwater. Several families with property that either abuts the planned development or sits within 300 feet of the project were involved in drawing up the agreement. The Rogerses are working to get support from more neighbors, said Michael Marks, a planning consultant hired by the Rogerses. The Tanque Verde Valley Association encompasses homes east of Houghton Road. The area is roughly bounded by the Catalina Mountains to the north, the Rincons to the east and Broadway to the south. The association has about 390 members. The group's board of directors voted against the project. Arlene Essig, on the board of directors of Tanque Verde Valley Association, said people are typically attracted to the rural qualities of the area, but then try to find a way to make money off the land. "What we do is what we feel is best for the valley," Essig said. "We don't want commercial. We're constantly fighting these things." Essig said they're concerned about traffic, noise, lights and potentially other similar commercial ventures that would be drawn to the area if the project is successful. "It does not belong here," Essig said.